Xainia's Story
by Enendar
Summary: The story of a young darkspear troll, her loss, her quest to destroy Hakkar, and a fate she could never have anticipated. This is an old version. Go read Xainia of Darkspear
1. Chapter 1: Beginning

The Hinterlands, just before the third war.

Surrounded by somewhat crumbling stone walls on three sides, a small hut stood. The structure had a straw roof and thin wooden sides. Inside a low table and a few chests were positioned neatly. Also inside, three trolls with blue skin sat about working with various objects. They were Darkspear trolls, a father, mother, and daughter.

"Xainia, go to tha market an bring back dinnah. Remembah, don' talk to anyone." Xaenus, her father, ordered.

Xainia was a very young troll, only fifteen years had passed since her birth. Only recently was she allowed to go as far as the market from the little plot where her house stood. It was easy for them to stay hidden, so easy that most trolls who saw them were surprised or offended to see the blue skins. A Darkspear troll in Lordaeron was unusual, a family of them in the great troll metropolis of Jintha'alor was even stranger.

"Same ting taday, Xainia?" The merchant questioned her.

"Ya, wolf meat." Xainia spoke, almost embarrassed; she paid and ran towards home with the pieces of meat.

Her father always instructed her to go right to the merchant and come right back, so she did not know much of the city. As Xainia went up some of the final steps to her remote corner of the city, she heard two voices and stopped. It was very unusual for anyone to come near her home.

"Atal'ai gonna use de ampitheata. We need da Vilebranch wit us wen Hakkar comes." The first voice, an older sounding male troll, spoke.

"We be wit ya, mon. Zul'jin be gone an we gotta fend for ourselves." The other troll, also a male, replied.

"Good. We be startin' tha summon soon." The old troll continued.

Fearing the name she had just heard and fearing that they might notice her, Xainia quickly continued towards her house. She arrived and placed the steaks on the table.

Xaenus checked the meat completely to make sure that it was truly wolf and not some unfortunate Witherbark or Revanatusk troll "It's fine."

Xaenus was a blacksmith by trade, but he struggled to make a living among the trolls of Jintha'alor as many of them would not associate with a Darkspear troll. Every day they ate wolf meat, it was the only non-troll meat that the family could afford. Each day it had the same blend of bland herbs that Xainia's mother picked. Dining was more of a chore than something to look forward to for them.

"Papa, why ya have to check tha meat every night?" Xainia had always been told that she'd not need to know until she was older, but she had not asked for a while.

Her father winced. "Because we wanna make sure it's wolf an not one a us, tha Vilebranch tribe dat we live with eats its own kind."

"You mean otha trolls?" Xainia looked a bit horrified.

"Yes, Xainia. It's sometin ah will never have dis family do."

"It mus be like tha strange trolls that were talkin' outside taday. Dey scared me."

"How's that?" her mother, Dalnuya, asked.

"Dey spoke about Hakkar, and getting tha Vilebranch's help."

Dalnuya almost dropped the potions she was mixing. "Hakkar?"

Xaenus looked very gravely at Xainia. "Are ya sure dey weren't young trolls playin'?"

"'e had a big voodoo mask, Papa."

"Dun speak ta anybody else 'bout dis, Xainia." Xaenus finished cooking the steaks quickly and served them the leathery meat.

"Ya, Papa" Xainia tore at the cooked wolf steak and drank some water.

After dinner, Xaenus went over to one of the chests in their small hovel and started working with some metal objects inside of it. Xainia went outside to check on the small garden that they grew behind the building. Nightfall came quickly. Around dark her father left for some time then returned.

"Dere be a fire up at da summit." he said when he came in.

Dalnuya looked very worried but she continued to lay out the mats and blankets that they slept under. Xainia lay down on her mat near her mother and looked over.

"Wha's tha fire for?" She paused then asked another question. "An if these trolls be cannibal, why we live here?"

Dalnuya turned to her to tell her. "Well, tha fire could be bad, vera bad. It might 'ave to do wit Hakkar." She shook her head "I 'ope dose trolls ya heard were jokin."

"As for why we're here, we've been forced into this sort a livin." Her father continued for Dalnuya. "When da Darkspear tribe, our people, fled to tha ocean, some of us didn' go. We fled north an lived in tha mountains until tha greenskins came."

Xainia looked eager for knowledge; she had loved the stories of the battles that Xaenus had seen. "Ya mean tha orcs?"

"Ya, ah don't remember tellin ya their propa name." Xaenus picked the story back up. "Zul'Jin and tha orcs fought across tha lands an we tried ta stay out of it. In tha end, only ya motha an me made it out afta tha elves found tha Darkspear village. We had to take shelter in 'ere. When da horde lost, tha Vilebranch came back 'ere and tolerated us jus like dey do taday."

"But da elves an men been gone for years. Why we still 'ere?" Xainia looked as she pulled the blanket over herself.

"Because if we go out dere, we fair game for Vilebranch an Witherbark cannibals." Xaenus lay down on the other side of Dalnuya.

"Go ta sleep, Xainia. You be too young to tink 'bout dis" Dalnuya got under the blankets.

"Nite, Momma, Papa." Xainia, still very obedient, put it from her mind and slept soundly.


	2. Chapter 2: Escape

Escape

The days passed on for some time, but life did not stay the same in Jintha'alor. The fire atop the summit stayed alight all the time and tales that the Vilebranch were even eating each other now found their way to Xainia's sensitive ears as she ran to the market each day. Every day, Xaenus would go somewhere when Xainia went to sleep and not return until the middle of the night. Upon return, he was covered in dirt and totally exhausted. Because of his late night work he ended up sleeping when he should be smithing in the middle of the day. On the whole, life was still peaceful, until the day almost three months later, when the Vilebranch's alliance with the Atal'ai would be sealed.

The sun shone red in the evening and lit up the clouds above Jintha'alor. Xainia was on her way back from the market when she saw a grand procession of trolls in masks and robes coming through the winding paths of the city. Vilebranch trolls were running ahead of the procession and clearing the way. As she was going down the path, she was in the way and one of them ran up to her.

"You be getting out da way.." The troll looked at her again. "You not Vilebranch! Eh boss, we got an intruda."

A larger troll from the runners yelled over. "I dun care. Get rid of 'er, out da way!"

Before Xainia could react, the runner butted into her with his tusks and then bit her arm hard, trying to chew a piece of it away. "Aaaaahhhh" Xainia yelped and grabbed her one of her assailant's tusks with her free arm.

Having one tusk pulled to the side obviously displeased this troll, he released his bite on her. Being frightened out of her wits, Xainia grabbed at whatever she could. Her hand landed on his other tusk and pulled the tusks in opposite directions. The runner flailed about trying to twist his head to free his tusks. As the runner grunted and tried to grab her, she kicked him in the forehead with both feet. The force from her still pulling snapped one of the long tusks off near the troll's mouth and he screamed in agony. Xainia got up quickly and ran off for home, clutching her bleeding arm.

The larger troll came up to the injured runner. "You lost a tusk?"

As the injured runner spat out some blood, he covered the broken bone with part of his sleeve that he had just ripped off.

"Eh boss! She got away! Tha intruda did this!" The attacking troll complained.

"Weaklin'" his boss insulted. Picking up the broken tusk, he belted the injured troll across the head several times. "No follow. Git tha path clear."

The attacking troll grimaced and went on to do his job; he was no match for the boss.

Xaenus saw his daughter coming down the path with a bloody arm and ran into the house to get his weapons from the small chest. Xainia ran into the house into her mothers arms and cried.

"Dere be sometin big out dere, Momma." She stifled out as Dalnuya held her.

"Wha happened… it looks like ya've been bitten." Her mother was quite shocked.

"One o da Vilebranch was makin way for a buncha trolls in masks. 'e saw I wasn' Vilebranch an he bit me." She was able to explain as her mother put some herbs on a wet cloth and bound the bite marks.

"Dun be takin' dis off." Dalnuya said as she finished tying the cloth.

Some time later, Xaenus came into the house. "It looks like dey didn' follow 'er." He went over to Xainia who was sitting against one of the walls. "You be ok?"

"Ya, Papa." She looked sad still. "I lost da wolf meat."

"It's ok, Xainia. Meat means nothin' long as you back safe." Xaenus hugged her.

In the middle of their embrace, a shrieking broke the air above Jintha'alor. Xaenus ran outside the house and looked up. Above the cityscape a great winged serpent flew towards the amphitheater at the summit. Xaenus' face filled with dread as he walked backwards into the house.

"What's it?" Dalnuya looked up from where she was sitting beside Xainia.

"It's a fear, dey are messin wit Hakkar up dere. A serpent come ta bear an egg. Jus like tha stories warn. Tha egg of Hakkar."

"We hafta use tha dig." Dalnuya spoke up.

"No… Pick tha garden clean an put it inna bag." Xaenus grabbed Xainia by her good arm and rushed out behind the house with her. "Xainia, you dis be what ah work on evra night." He slid a stone on a ledge aside to reveal a deep tunnel into the mountainside under Jintha'alor.

"Papa? Why ya show me dis?" Xainia looked up at him, weak from a mixture of missing her regular food and being bitten.

"You gonna stay 'ere an go down dis tunnel if ah don come back tonight. It's almost done, enough ta push thru."

"Why don' we all go, Papa?" Xainia looked down the tunnel.

"Dere's sumtin' I gotta do. We was gonna leave tonight, but dis… I gotta go do sumtin' bout dis." Xaenus shook his head.

Dalnuya rushed out with the pack and put it by the tunnel. "An where you goin, Xaenus?" she was very worried.

"Tha Darkspear in me can't let Hakkar come back. Ah be goin to that summit ta kill tha serpent an 'is summonah." Xaenus drew two enchanted daggers that he had fetched from the chest inside the house and looked at them both.

"You ain't goin up dere without me." Dalnuya lowered her head in prayer as glowing light appeared around Xaenus and he looked stronger and healthier.

"Momma, what's that?" Xainia looked surprised.

"A prayer, Xainia, ah'll teach ya someday." Dalnuya said quickly.

"You gotta stay 'ere wit Xainia." Xaenus insisted.

"We'll be comin back, so we got nothin' ta worry 'bout." Dalnuya got a mace and a book from the chest in the house.

"Ah don' like this." Xaenus still insisted and then turned to Xainia. "If we don' be back tonight, you go down dere fast. If anybody else come 'ere, you go down dere fastah!"

Xainia nodded and sat on the ledge by the tunnel watching her parents walk off into the city and towards the fire that was now always lit. Hours passed with hardly a noise, the city outside seemed empty. After falling asleep and waking back up several times, Xainia began to get very worried. Xainia had considered going down the tunnel many times already, but she didn't want her family to be left behind. Suddenly the idea entered her head.

"Ah gotta go see if dey comin." She said to herself as she climbed up on the walls with the great agility of a young one.

Each level of the city was easy to get on top of as some of the walls were covered in vines or crumbling. Xainia neared the fire at the summit and hopped down to the hillside on the other side of the wall. She could not risk staying on the wall as it seemed the entire population of the city was jammed up at the summit watching something. As Xainia peered over the wall by the amphitheater, the images she saw and moments that followed burned themselves into her mind forever with searing pain.

"Dese be tha foolish trolls dat stood in our way." A troll in a wooden mask spoke up loudly to the crowd.

Xaenus and Dalnuya were tied and heavily beaten. Near them was the corpse of the winged serpent that had come and all around them were the broken bodies of the high priests and summoners. The troll who had called out approached them.

"Not even Vilebranch, we let ya stay here an ya did dis! Ya killed our the bearah of our savior an ya killed tha only trolls who can summon it again." He pulled at the ropes that bound them. "What do ya say for yaself before ya die!"

Xainia's eyes grew wide with terror at the words that her parent's captor spoke. Her parents had to come back, they were supposed to come back.

Xaenus straightened himself up as much as he could, they had broken one of his legs and Dalnuya was unable to heal him fast enough. "Hakkar will nevah come back to dis world! Tha Darkspear tribe won' allow it! You trolls gotta lisen to me! Tha soulflayer brings death, not victory!"

Sneering, the captor hit him hard in the stomach and beckoned several trolls from the crowd. "You be payin for that!" He called the trolls up onto the altar where they were held. "Eat em! Alive!"

Xainia watched in complete terror and helplessness as the crowd cheered and more than ten Vilebranch trolls beset her parents, biting into their still living bodies. If it had not been for the number of trolls blocking her direct view, Xainia's sanity might have been totally shattered. She was only able to see the blood flying and the trolls walking away with hunks of flesh as the crowd closed in and despite their best efforts to die strong, her parents screamed in pain. Holding the sides of her head trying to shake the images from it, Xainia suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream that broke the cheering of the crowd.

"Ey! Deres anothah one up dere!" One of the trolls yelled as several axes flew into the wall below her and to the sides of her.

Realizing that she was next, Xainia ran with all the speed she could muster back towards home, the images had left her as her mind burned with the pure adrenaline that only terror like this could create. The crowd of Vilebranch trolls at the top of the amphitheater tried to follow her, but the crowd was so dense that she easily outran them. She jumped down into the alcove her house was in and grabbed the satchel that her mother had prepared. Jumping into the tunnel she strained at the rock to the side of it, her injured arm beginning to bleed again, but eventually she blocked most of the hole with the stone slab. Scrabbling with dirt in the tunnel, she blocked up the remainder of the hole and stopped, breathing heavily and sobbing uncontrollably. She stifled her sorrow in fear again as voices came from outside.

"Dis is whar tha Darkspear lived." A voice, that of the merchant who had seemed tolerant of them before, spoke.

"Fin da little one! Loot tha house! I want mah dessert!" The voice of her parents' executioner joined in with the yells of a crowd that had come to the quiet alcove in which she had spent these fifteen years.

In fear once again, she scampered down the tunnel. Her father's hard work had made it sizeable enough for her to get down it, but it was pitch dark and she had to simply crawl as fast as she could hoping to find the end. Each time she hit a wall, it simply seemed that the tunnel turned sharply and continued. Eventually she hit the end of the tunnel and began clawing at it despite the re-opened wound on her arm. As Xaenus had predicted, she soon fell straight through the end of it onto hard rock below and lost consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3: Discovery

Discovery

Xainia didn't know how many days she laid in the cave, drifting between consciousness and sleep, slowly eating through the plants that had been hastily thrown into the satchel that she carried. Every waking moment, the images of the night atop Jintha'alor filled her head as she cried uncontrollably and thought of how she might have changed the grim events of that night. In the middle of one of the many winning fantasies she had dreamed up in trying to cope, she heard footsteps. Quickly, she tried to cover herself in dirt. Not finding enough, she curled into a ball and hugged the satchel.

"Zug Zug?" A deep voice issued from somewhere in the cave as the footsteps came closer.

A crackling noise followed the footsteps, it was a torch burning. Not having seen the light in some time, Xainia's vision blurred. Above Xainia a green skinned being with metal armor and a torch stood. Xainia curled up even more, hoping it would leave. Among the babblings of a language she didn't understand, she made out a few words.

"Troll? Blue Troll?" The green skin stooped down and looked at her. "Whatsit?"

Xainia tried to curl up more, hoping to become part of the cave wall in her fantasy. She began to weep in her fear as the torch didn't leave. The green skinned scout called back very loudly out of the cave, almost hurting Xainia's ears since she had not heard anything in a long time.

"Aid!" the being cried in its own tongue. Several more of the being trampled down through the cave with weapons drawn but stowed them as soon as they saw it was only a small woman-troll.

They held a conversation which Xainia could not understand.

"Denir? You needed help for this?" One of the others laughed heartily.

"I don't know what it is, Brog. It look like a troll, but it's blue. It look scared."

"You don't know how to speak troll?" another in the party asked.

"I'm too young. Remind me again, Drok." Denir glared over.

"Shut up, you two." Brog took a knee in front of the frightened troll and spoke in somewhat broken troll language.

"We orcs. You ca… You come with us. We no hurt." Brog struggled to make basic troll phrases.

Xainia uncurled a bit and looked at them from where her head was hidden in her arms then silently nodded once or twice.

Turning back to Denir and starting to walk away, Brog issued orders in orcish. "Pick her up and take her to the fire. We gonna find who she is and why she's blue."

Denir took ahold of Xainia and put her over his shoulder, she hung there limply. It took a good twenty minutes of walking past outposts and down long winding paths to get out of the cave; she was in one of the deepest corners. When they emerged, it was evening. Xainia saw the red tint of the sky and shivered at the reminder of the last night she had seen like that. Depositing her by the large central fire in the camp, Denir sat down with the other orcs. Xainia scrambled back against a wagon that was pulled up near the fire and curled up again. The other orcs looked at her then looked at Denir.

"Who she?" One of them spoke in orcish.

"I dunno, we find her in the cave. She look like a troll." Denir replied

"But she's blue." The other continued.

"Tell me something I don't know." Denir shook his head.

"The Warchief is rallying the horde" One at the fire spoke.

"What? Now?" Denir stood up in disbelief.

"Yeah, a warcaller just came through when you were in the cave."

"I gotta go tell Brog. No body touches the troll until we get someone who can talk to it." Denir got up and ran back into the cave.

The other orcs looked at Xainia and she looked back out at them from her safe spot by the wagon. Eyes still full of tears, she ignored them and went back to dreaming. Later on, Brog returned with Denir and the warcaller.

"Pack up camp now. The horde is on the move." Brog ordered as others from the cave re-entered the camp and helped pack up.

As the orcs began to pack and take tents down quickly, Brog approached Xainia.

"You get in wagon." He said in troll.

The warcaller looked strangely at Brog. "You're taking a troll with you? A blue one at that?" he asked in orcish.

"I'm not gonna leave it here. I wanna know why it's blue." He said back in orcish.

"You… Get in wagon!" Brog repeated in troll since Xainia had not moved.

Xainia continued to sit there curled up, lost in some dream. Brog became frustrated and picked her up over his head, putting her in the wagon. Immediately, Xainia scrambled against the inner back corner of the wagon and curled up again.

"What happened to it for it to act like that?" The warcaller looked to Brog.

"That's what I'm gonna find out." Brog walked over to one of the female orcs who was packing up a tent.

"Okquina, you speak troll. Go protect the troll in the wagon." Brog ordered.

"There's a troll in the wagon?" Okquina looked at Brog oddly then went and climbed into the wagon.

Not trying to engage Xainia in conversation, she just sat there and looked at the distraught troll while the camp packed up. Soon the wagon began to move for the shore, following the warcaller's guidance. Okquina stayed in the wagon with Xainia for the long journey, unsure whether she was asleep or just unresponsive. Finally, the wagons came to a halt. Xainia peered out of the back of the wagon and saw a great many orcs assembled outside. Okquina closed the flap on the back of the wagon so that Xainia wouldn't get bothered by any of them. The new horde had no trolls in it and the warchief, Thrall, hated forest trolls. Although she was blue, Xainia was still a troll.

An orc outside announced loudly. "Warchief, the horde is assembled!"

Xainia couldn't understand what it meant nor could she understand the conversation that followed, but soon the wagon began to move again. It rolled up a slope and then the ground was no longer solid, it rocked back and forth.

"We are on a boat." Okquina took the opportunity to say something in troll to Xainia.

Xainia nodded and kept herself curled up as orcs circled the wagon and tied it to the deck. The ships set sail heading west, Xainia could see the sunset out the front entrance of the wagon whenever she looked up. Pulling some now groady looking vegetables out of her satchel, Xainia began to eat. Okquina saw that the food had obviously gone bad and came over, taking the satchel and food from Xainia. Losing her satchel, an object she had used for feeding, security, and even remembering her parents, disturbed her greatly. She started crying loudly and she curled up even more. Okquina hopped out of the wagon, casting the bag aside.

"What noise in the wagon?" One of the deckhands asked Okquina.

"Ignore it. Go get me food from galley. I have your post." Okquina stood outside the wagon waiting for the other orc to return.

After the orc retook his post, Okquina brought in a bowl of soup and some bread into the wagon and set them in front of Xainia. The troll had since quieted down and had started rocking back and forth.

"Eat this." Okquina pushed the soup and bread towards her.

Xainia looked untrustingly out of her position at Okquina; she didn't want to eat, but the food smelled so good to her. She picked up the bowl and sniffed it, stifling out two words. "No troll?"

Okquina looked at her strangely and replied. "There's no troll in the soup. We don't eat trolls."

Xainia slowly started eating, this food tasted better than any she had ever had; of course anything tasted better than leathery bland wolf steaks. It even made her forget her sadness while eating it, but as soon as the bowl was dry her eyes were wet again with tears. She stifled out a few more words before continuing her crying. "Thank you."

Perplexed at the troll's behavior still, Okquina came closer to the small troll and held her; her motherly instincts brought forth by the crying young one. Xainia let the orc hold her, not caring what was going on around her. Eventually she found her arms around the comforting warmth that Okquina provided, wondering why the orc was doing this.

"You'll be ok. Sleep now." Okquina smiled and let the small troll rest against her.


	4. Chapter 4: Reunion

Reunion

Later in the night a male orc with a wolf-skin mask entered the wagon and sat across from them. Xainia was asleep while Okquina continued to stay by her; the new presence woke her up and she curled up against the back of the wagon again.

"Okquina, Brog sent me here to try and see what the story of this troll is." The new orc spoke in his native tongue.

"She won't tell you, she doesn't talk." Okquina asserted, also speaking in orcish.

"I don't plan on requiring her to talk." The orc removed some items from his bags.

"What's your name anyway?" Okquina asked.

"I am Hasur, one of the shamans of the warchief." He lit some herbs aflame in a small dish, giving a strange smell to the air in the wagon.

Xainia recoiled a bit at the smell and Okquina whispered to her. "Rest, he won't hurt you."

Hasur raised his arms in the air and called out. "Spirits of the wilds, show me the pains of this troll."

The air in the wagon filled with a strange light as the spirits answered the call of the shaman. Hasur's vision went black as he saw the city of Jintha'alor from the sky in his meditation. Suddenly, his mind seared as Xainia's had. The memories of the troll hit him at a rate almost faster than he could comprehend.

"DarkspearBringbackdinnahwolfAtal'aiHakkaramphitheaterXaenusfathernottrollmeatpotions motherDalnuyaVilebranchtrolleattrollmeannotbelongblandsteaksfathertiredfatherdirtybittentuskbrokenrunrunmustrun! motherfatherworriedtunnelfatherleavemotherleavefindparentsclimbhidehideenemy!enemydeadfatherhurttrollinmaskyell 'eatthem!alive'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaxesrunrunagainfastermustgofaster tunnelarmhurtstoneheavyblockholeblockholevoicesmeanvoicesyelling stone… darkness."

Hasur shook visibly as it hit him so quickly. His nose began to bleed slightly and his eyes filled with tears as the glowing ceased and the spirits left him. Breathing heavily, he regained himself and sat thinking for some time.

Finally speaking to Okquina, Hasur took a concerned tone. "Can you leave her for a moment? We need to speak to Brog."

"I suppose." Okquina pulled a blanket over Xainia and stepped out of the wagon into the cool ocean night. Hasur quickly fetched Brog and brought him back to outside the wagon.

"So whats with the troll?" Brog asked them.

"She is still acting strange, but I was able to get her to eat." Okquina spoke up.

"Have you figured out why, Hasur?" Brog questioned further.

"Yes, the spirits showed me why she is broken." His eyes almost began to tear up again. "I can't express it all to you, but I will say what is important.

"Go on, it must be quite a tale to have your looking like this, Hasur" Brog sat down on a barrel near them.

"Her name is Xainia." Hasur relayed to them that she wasn't a forest troll, but a troll of the 'Darkspear' tribe. Almost as if he had been there, Hasur spoke of how the Vilebranch trolls sought to create the egg of Hakkar and how she had been attacked then witnessed her parents cannibalized alive when they fought the summoners. "I am assuming that the place you found her in, Brog, was where she fell out of her escape tunnel."

"Well, I guess the warchief might not be against her since she's not a forest troll. I don't see what to do with her, though." Brog was confused and still thinking over all he had heard.

"Okquina seems to be trusted by the troll." Hasur brought up.

Brog turned to Okquina. "Good then, take her into one of the rooms below and keep her there, Okquina. You will be her guardian."

"Wait a minute, I get her to eat and now I'm her guardian?" Okquina was surprised.

"I can't have us dragging around a helpless troll everywhere with the grunts. You stay at the base camps with her once we get to this new land that the warchief tells us about." Brog ordered. "Good luck."

With that, Brog went on to his duties and Hasur turned to Okquina. "You'd probably do better to not show that you know about her. She might not want anyone to know."

"I was guessin' that." Okquina went back inside the wagon.

Xainia was still asleep, curled up under the blanket that Okquina had given her. Even though she was sleeping, the tears still ran down her face. Although she was still a young troll, she was still rather heavy for Okquina to carry. Hardly waking at being moved, Xainia held herself against her guardian. They quickly descended into the ship and went into one of the empty rooms that would have been officer quarters for the alliance. Okquina laid Xainia on one of the hammocks in the room and sat down in a chair, sharpening her weapons, as the ship sailed on to the west.

The monotony of the sea quickly bored many of the orcs on the ship. Okquina ended up being one of the only orcs with something to do; take care of a young troll. Xainia laid in the hammock all day with blankets over her, physically she was healed but mentally she was still torn. The only time the tears stopped was when she ate. Although the food was just simple ships rations, it was marvelous Xainia. Eventually, she was able to get Xainia to walk around the cabin a bit, but the actions always seemed forced and automatic; her mind was elsewhere.

Soon the seas became stormy and the storms never ceased. Above, orcs scrambled to keep the ship afloat as the great swirling maelstrom that they had sailed into assailed the fleet. Xainia had begun to understand enough orcish to know that things were wrong, she kept curled up in her hammock, half hoping that she would die from the storms, and half hoping that she would just be safe. While Okquina saw just an empty room, Xainia's vision was much more plagued.

"You gonna pay for dat tusk!" The troll who had bitten her stood constant in her vision, ethereal and unreal but still scaring her.

"Hey you, go eat her." The troll in the wooden mask floated there too, not shaken by the ship moving.

The broken tusked troll dove for her always and she would see herself being chewed on, but then she would make the slightest movement and the visions would restart on her. These hallucinations drowned out the sound of the mainmast snapping above her head as the ship continued to toss and turn. Xainia was tossed from the hammock, through her hallucinations. Scrambling to get away from them she hid in the corner of the room. Okquina had been called away to help topside and so the young troll was left with only her visions for some time. Then, almost as suddenly as they had begun, the storms around the fleet halted.

An orc called loudly from his post atop one of the still standing masts. "Brog! We've sighted land. The Warchief's ship is sailing for it!"

"Well follow them!" Brog called back as he ran about the ravaged deck issuing orders to the grunts manning the remaining sails.

The ships moored themselves off of the tropical islands as close into shore as they could come. The order soon came to repair the ships completely before continuing.

"Xainia, come with me. We going on ground." Okquina returned to the room to find Xainia crying and huddled in the corner.

Seeing someone else drove the visions away for a moment, so Xainia quickly rose and followed the orc, carrying the blanket she had used on the ship with her. While heading to the newly built bonfire outside, Xainia looked at no one, she draped the blanket around herself like a hood and stayed close to the only source of comfort she had known in these horrible times, Okquina. It seemed that they had moored near a village of some sort.

"Darkspear? Wha you talkin' bout mon?" A voice spoke clearly in troll. Xainia feared it; it must be one of her hallucinations.

"Okquina, is that her?" Brog yelled over in orcish.

"Yes, but what…" Okquina paused at the sight of who Brog was talking to.

Brog came over with his companion. "Well we can't see if there's a blanket over her head." He complained to Okquina.

Xainia scrambled to pull the blanket back up out of instinct as Okquina pulled it away, but then she saw what was in front of her. Before her a male troll of her color holding two spears stood. Unsure of whether she should be afraid or not and unable to feel joy, she just stared blankly at the troll.

"This is Ur'denai, one of the Darkspear trolls. This island is their home." Brog informed Okquina.

"Ya, she Darkspear. Wha she doin wit you?" The troll looked Xainia over and informed them.

Peeking to the left and right sides of him, she suddenly noticed many Darkspear trolls all over the area helping to repair the ships. Knowing that she could have lived out here with her parents but not considering the reasons why they were stuck in Jintha'alor, Xainia cried again and sank down to the ground, pulling the blanket over herself again.

"Why she sad? She home." The troll looked at them.

Okquina answered the troll's question. "We tell you later. We've got work to do."


	5. Chapter 5: The Binding

The Binding

After that day on the beach, Xainia's life changed little. She had found the Darkspear tribe from which she came, but the peace she could experience was hollow to her. Every face of a Darkspear that she saw reminded her in some way of her parents. Soon, the horde had engaged humans and then murlocs on the islands that the Darkspear tribe called home. Barely escaping as the island sunk beneath the sea, all of the Darkspears accompanied the horde. Always hiding herself in one of the wagons, Xainia lost herself in her fantasies and visions as the horde moved on to fight against more humans and eventually the demons of the burning legion. Lost as she was, Xainia became able to take care of herself at the base camps.

The once cheerful attitude she held was replaced by a mute and automatic way of living. Four years passed slowly as the city of Orgrimmar was born and the land of Durotar founded. Xainia took up living in Durotar atop the craggy outcroppings that covered the valleys of the region. The only thing that she did, aside from staying barely alive, was watch the sunset. Each setting marked another day closer to the day when she would once again be with her parents.

None who approached her could gain any response, even when Okquina or another troll came to visit, she ignored them. This troll, now twenty, couldn't have seemed older or more tired of living. Sometimes, however, change comes from where it shouldn't. Hope originates from those without hope, and new life from those without life.

"Ya let dem eat us!" A particularly horrid vision of Xainia's mother and father, chewed to the bone in some places, plagued her as she watched the sun go down.

"Ya, dis young one too weak ta stop us." The familiar phantasm of the troll in a wooden mask paced around Xainia as she cried.

"No… No… It happen too fast fa me ta help. I couldn' help." Xainia thought and shook her head.

"Ya coulda jumped down an saved us." The ragged phantasms tormented.

"We died ta stop Hakkar! We knew we wouldn' come back. Why you still alive?" The voices got louder as Xainia's head spun.

The sound of footsteps came from near Xainia's hut. Instinctively, she crawled inside with the visions following her until the sound faded. From the corner of her eye, she saw a figure in a robe walking away from the dwelling. Believing it gone, she crawled back outside and sat down to watch the sunset more.

"See. Ya hide for everating! Ya'd be better off dead." The voices picked back up.

Suddenly, from a distance too close for her to run and hide, she felt a presence and heard light footsteps. Whatever had come evidently tricked her into thinking it had left. Committing herself to ignore it, she continued to watch the sunset. The other being sat down beside Xainia and also looked out at the sunset. Eventually, Xainia slowly glanced over. Eyes wide with terror, she backed up a few feet quickly. The being beside her had white and grey skin, green hair, and exposed elbow bones; it was an undead. Xainia had heard passers by speaking of the undead, the plague, and the horde's strange alliance with them from inside her hovel. It seemed only after that idea entered her head that the horrible cannibalized visions of her parents appeared to her.

"Do not fear me. I mean you no harm." The undead looked over at the very frightened troll. He spoke in orcish, which Xainia came to understand at the base camps during the third war.

Seeing the undead fully intrigued her instead of frightening her. The undead was male and had two horns that seemed to spring forth from his forehead. The rest of his ornately patterned and colored clothes shined with strange enchantments.

"Do you have a name?" He continued to speak to her.

Xainia was still rather frightened of the undead, but this interaction drove the phantasms from her mind so she moved closer. Removing some food and drink from a satchel, the undead offered them to her.

"You look hungry. Eat."

Not having had much aside from scorpids in the past few weeks, Xainia took the food from the undead and began to eat it. Standing for a moment, the undead removed a pink shard from a pouch on his belt and weaved strange runes with his hands. Before Xainia, a strange dog-like beast with red scaly skin, horns, dark black hair, and two strange tendrils above its head appeared. Xainia froze at its appearance, the beast moved closer and nudged Xainia.

"He likes you." The summoner commented. "Won't you pet him?"

Cautiously, Xainia ran her hand over the hairs on the beast's back. In response, it lay down beside her. Having too many questions for this new acquaintance, Xainia was moved to break the silence she had held for so long. Her voice was very shaky at first from disuse.

"W…Wat is it?" She looked at the strange animal beside her.

"It is a Felhunter. This one is named Khuufen." He petted the beast.

The next question came quickly. "Who are ya? Why ya here?" Xainia said in between eating.

"My name is of no consequence. I think the more important question is: Why are you here? I have seen this hut many times in passing and never known why a troll lives out here in the wilderness."

Xainia sat, not wanting to answer him. She hadn't thought why she avoided others. "Ah… ah don' wan ta be a trouble." She finally spoke.

"You mean you don't wish to impose?"

"Ya." Xainia looked back.

"You never said your name by the way." The undead questioned her again.

"Xainia."

"Now, why are you here? Not living out here in the wilderness, but here; in this world." Her inquisitor continued.

Xainia sat for a while, on the verge of crying again. "Why are ya askin me dat?" she sobbed.

"I wish to know. You interest me."

"Well ah don' know." Xainia answered curtly.

"That's not much of an answer. There must be some reason you haven't starved out here. I mean, with the loss of your parents and the great journey you made… you must have endured for some reason."

Xainia looked at the undead incredulously, her horrible memories stirred by his words. "How you know dat!" her eyes filled with tears. "Nobody know dat!"

"You know that." The undead responded quickly.

"I am nobody." Xainia sobbed.

Continuing to play off her words, the undead already had an answer. "I thought you were Xainia."

After sobbing for a while, Xainia looked at him. "So ya know about mah parents… mah visions. Ah'm no good. Ah shoulda died dat night wit mah parents. Even when ah don' tink about dem, tha tears just come." She openly cried in front of the undead.

"And yet, you do nothing to avenge them, young troll. Your parents died protecting you and trying to stop Hakkar. Having seen a mortal life and now this life, I have seen that dwelling on something only wastes time." The undead knew much about Xainia's past, which astounded her more.

"But… ah couldn't do anythin! Ah couldn't!" she grabbed her head and shook it like when she saw her parents die.

"And you still can't? Even though you now have a horde of allies who would rush to your aid to stop Hakkar and his servants, you still see nothing you can do!"

"Ah can't. Ah just need ta wait ta die and ah can be wit mah parents." Xainia was hot in the face with tears.

"That would not save you from your suffering." The undead looked at her. "Death is now only the beginning in this world."

Xainia lied back on the ground hopelessly. "Den tha visions never go away?"

"I knew of your parents, but not your visions. I could only guess that they are from your guilt."

Turning to the side and petting the felhunter again, the young troll sighed. "Ah guess dey are. Ya know mah momma was a priest? She coulda stopped da visions." Upon mentioning her mother again, Xainia teared up once more.

The undead smiled for a moment and stood up. "Then why not?"

"Not wat?" Xainia looked up at the undead.

Sitting there in silence, the undead waited for Xainia to think on what had been said.

Looking uplifted for the first time in a great while, she finally spoke.

"Maybe ah could be a priest. Ah could become strong here an go back ta stop Hakkar. Ah could stop da Vilebranch too. Ah could stop mah visions mahself! Maybe ah could stop waitin an live." Xainia stood up, towering over the undead in height. Suddenly her head hung low again. "But ah don' know how ta start or how ta go."

"I could show you the way." The undead grinned. "A way to become strong without returning to the east."

"Ya could?" Xainia dried her eyes off.

"Yes, I could."

"Wat must ah do?" Xainia came closer to him.

His almost evil smile widening more, the undead continued to speak. "You will be bound to me. I will train you and guide you in this new world that I have explored so widely. You must do this of your own free will; I will not force you into it."

"Ah am Darkspear!" Xainia embraced the will of her people as her father had. "Ah will do anythin to stop Hakkar an avenge mah parents."

The Undead drew a piece of chalk and a stone from the pouch on his belt. "Good. Stand where you are and do not move."

Xainia stood obediently as the undead worked quickly, drawing symbols and runes around her on the ground while whispering in a demonic sounding tongue. The felhunter howled at the ceremony taking place as the undead stood back up and took a place a few feet away.

"Are you prepared, young Xainia?"

"Ah am." The troll stood, finally having some hope in her life.

The undead held the stone in his hand as he weaved purple and blue symbols in the air. The night around them lit up with the energies he channeled around them both. With a sudden blast, the stone in his hand turned a deep shade of blue and energy flew outwards from the area, destroying Xainia's hut. When it cleared, Xainia was covered in twisting deep blue tattoo-like symbols. The symbols quickly faded to her normal skin color, becoming invisible. Her mind was silent for once, the tormenting voices she had heard for years driven from it.

Without speaking, the undead looked at her and she heard his voice echo through her head. "Now, my pet, you will go to the Valley of Trials. The Valley of Trials is south of here and west of the Sen'jin village, occupied by your people. You will train in the ways of a shadow priest. You wished to avenge and protect those weak as you were, so when you are of skill, you will find an undead named Noktwar and you will serve him in battle as one of his guards. Go, now."

"Yes sah, my… Mastah." Xainia called out as she turned and ran for the valley with all haste.


	6. Chapter 6: Descent into Shadow

**Chapter 6: Descent into Shadow**

Many days had passed since Xainia had begun her journey as a priest. The strange voice, that of her master, always filled her head. Through her adventures, Xainia had traveled the Barrens, Ashenvale forest, the Thousand Needles, the Stonetalon mountains, but never the east. She avoided the dark continent of Lordaeron; a place of fear and memory. Xainia was committed to destroying Hakkar, but she would not go near her past until she was strong enough. Now adventuring from Shadowprey village, a great turning point in Xainia's life was coming about.

"You seem troubled, child." The dark voice of Xainia's unnamed master echoed in her head.

"Ah dun know why ah am helpin' these dirty centaurs." Xainia thought in return as she removed several silver pieces from a recent kill made to gain the favor of one tribe or another.

Her master, although strict, was concerned for his pet. It was uncommon for an undead to show such fostering. Despite this caring, Xainia still did not know her master's name; it was not her privilege to know such things.

"You would rather be in Arathi then?"

Xainia paused and shook for a moment. She knew how close it was to Jintha'alor. "N..no."

"As I thought. Now, you will go to the north, the valley of spears. You must prove your strength in the shadow to me. You will have thirty minutes to kill every centaur in the valley."

"But some a dem be really strong, ah've tried dis before, ah just can't go fast enough."

"Then you must learn to move faster. You may not continue until you can do this."

"Yes, masta" Xaina thought of the drudgery of it.

Running up on her raptor as she had many times before, Xaina dismounted infront of the southern entrance to the valley. Staring tiredly at the centaurs in front of her, she saw them look back with the same tired out look. By this time, they did not approach her unless she came near to them first and posed a threat. It was fear perhaps that kept them away from her, but to her she was just going through the motions that her master commanded. Xainia put a hand guard on and looked at it for a moment. The master had given her this device to "allow her to wield the shadows". It made her feel like she was just using these skills she learned; she did not feel any flow of power within her.

"Dirta Horsemen." Xainia commented as she ran up and began attacking them.

Shadow power flowed forth from the hand guard as Xainia called forth the different spells that the priests had taught her. Sometimes she would use holy spells along with them, but her master always preferred her to channel the shadow. Centaur after centaur fell before her, almost never touching her through various shields. Soon she was on the western entrance of the valley, sitting down and breathing heavily.

"Good, my child. You have performed well." Her master's thoughts reached her.

"Ah dun know what dat was gonna prove." Xainia was fed up with killing these centaurs and with traveling through this grey desolate land they dwelled in.

"You have no need to know. You only need to do it." The voice returned somewhat arrogantly to her. "Now. Travel south to the goblin city of Gadgetzan. Many missions await you there."

Sighing at having to travel so far once more, Xainia called forth her raptor and headed for the seedy city in the sands. Having been there a few times to see the local alchemist, she was able to ride through the air to reach it. This time the alchemist directed her to speak with someone else in the city, a surveyor.

"Time is money, friend." The short goblin greeted her as she walked up a small hillock in the city to see him.

"Da alchemist said ta see ya. What ya be havin for me ta do?"

"Oh. Well this is pretty important. A lot lies at stake here, so listen carefully! We're losing a lot of water to these bandits throughout the desert, I need you to go over to Sandsorrow Watch and gather some water for me to see if it's usable. Hurry up now!" The goblin shoved an empty flask into her hands and turned back to his surveying instruments.

"Ok… so ah guess ah'll do it." Xainia said half sarcastic and half bewildered that the goblin would just expect her to accept like this.

Xainia stopped by the local inn for a moment and then walked out of the city, looking to her master for advice.

"Wha's out dere?" she thought.

"Trolls. Not friendly ones either." Her master returned solemnly.

Xainia stopped dead in her tracks. "Do Ah gotta go?"

Dealing with other trolls was something Xainia had a hard time handling. Darkspears were fine, but the other tribes she still did not trust whatsoever. Now that she knew these trolls were not friendly, it brought back the most horrible memories.

"You will go. It is possible to avoid them." Her master commanded.

Heading west with a wide loop to the south away from any structures, Xainia headed towards Sandsorrow Watch. As she looped around to the south, she caught sight of some of the trolls in the distance. They had strange colored skin and fire-colored hair; the Sandfury tribe. Known for their worshipping of strange old deities and for savagery, Xainia wished to avoid them, complete her mission, and return to Gadgetzan as soon as possible. Quickly heading to a nearby pool of water, she dipped the vessel in, filled it, and capped it.

"Scrrrrrrreeeeeegggggggchhh" A high pitched noise split the air as she stepped away.

Xainia turned back and saw two very large bugs charging out of the water at her. Quickly raising her shield, she didn't put her glove on and simply called down the forces of the holy light to destroy them. The bugs fell somewhat easily, but left Xainia shaken nonetheless. She looked around and then took the shell off of one of them, hoping it would fetch a price somewhere. Xainia was ready to return to the town, but it seemed that not everyone had the same plans for her.

"You not supposed to be 'ere." A deep voice spoke from behind her. Before Xainia could react, the butt of an axe hit her upside the head and knocked her out.

Having been knocked out so harshly, Xainia's mind swam in a sea of fear and memory. Trolls were the oldest most enduring race, and yet they were able to exhibit such terror and pain upon each other. Their ability to hate and destroy each other while enduring as a race matched only that of the elf races which grew from the same root as they did. The voices of the spirits that once troubled her danced around her prone form in her mind.

"You be doomed now! Finally out of da safety wit da orcs!"

"You musta got hit by a Sandfury. Ya know dey worship Hakkar too, ya failed us." A now almost skeletal troll visage plagued her.

Other voices mixed in with the spirits, ones that sounded new; her captors.

"You keep an eye on 'er."

"Wha? I dun get ta roll on da fun?"

"Ya be too young." A deeper troll voice returned.

Xainia slowly awoke; it was nighttime now. Nearby she saw three male Sandfury trolls arguing nearby her.

"Wazzat matter? She's young too."

One of the two older trolls hit the young one that just spoke.

"Know ya place welp. Watch er."

The younger troll slunked over then noticed Xainia was awake and called back.

"Ey, she be awake mon, whatcha wan me do?" He readied a stone to knock her out again.

"Jus keep her there. We gonna decide soon. It be more fun if she awake." The deeper voiced troll called back.

The young troll drew his sword and held it close to Xainia's neck. "You dun be movin till da othas get back."

Xainia began to regain her senses, still deeply depressed by the visions that had just come to her. She knew her holy power was not enough to kill these three, but her hand guard was just in her bag if she could only reach into it without alerting this troll.

Had it been that simple, she would have escaped no doubt. She looked over at the other two and saw one of them holding her hand guard and a few other possessions in his dirty claws; there was no escape for her now. Starting to tear up, Xainia just stared on at the other two trolls.

"Roll dem bones, mon" The other older troll spoke up.

"Ah done more than ya. Ah shouldn't have to do dat. Besides, Ah captured her." The deeper voiced troll argued.

"But Ah spotted her. She's nothin special, doin tings only work for really rare stuff."

"Fine." The deep voiced troll pulled out some crude dice and rolled them out on a piece of wood that the two had on the ground between them. "Thirta five"

The other troll grinned and rolled his on the same board. "A hundred. Ah win!"

Looking suspiciously at his compatriot, the deep voiced troll looked closely at the dice. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with anger. "Dese be cockeyed! Ya lousy cheat!" The deep voiced troll picked up the rolling board and bashed the cheating troll upside the head with it.

"Ah no be cheatin, ya gave me dose dice yestaday!" the other troll spoke groggily as he drew his weapons and charged the deep voiced troll.

"Noboda calls me ah cheat!" The two trolls said almost in unison as they began wrestling and fighting each other.

By this time, Xainia had figured out what they were planning to do. They were rolling over her. This filled her with fear beyond the worst dread, she curled up and tried to shy away from the knife that was held ever close to her throat. The younger troll looked at the two fighting each other and grinned.

"Dey be fools. Dose be mah dice."

Casting aside the sword, he grasped Xainia's neck. Stripping off some pieces of his armor, the troll continued to grin luridly at her. Xainia was almost in shock from the horror flowing through her mind. She hated that she had come out here, she hated that she had been captured, but most of all she hated these trolls and anyone who would act like them.

"It be mah turn ta get what ah want!" The young troll grabbed Xainia in a very violating way.

The fear and hate poured through Xainia's body as the young troll closed in. Suddenly, something within her snapped. She felt time frozen around her as she saw no longer what was going on, just herself surrounded by blackness.

"Masta… Masta where are ya?" She said in a bewildered fashion.

"I am here, my child." The image of her master appeared from the blackness.

"Why, Why dis be happening?"

"Only because you allow it to." The master replied.

"Ah can't stop dem. Ah got no powa."

"You have proven your power before. You only must wish to truly use it, to embrace the path you have chosen, and your enemies will perish in ash and torment." The image faded back into the blackness.

Xainia was awoken back into the time stream as the young troll tore a sleeve off of her robe and grabbed her arm. He grabbed it just in the place she had been bitten so many years ago. In her state of shock, the plaguing spirit of the one-tusked troll appeared to lean out of her captor, grinning and gnashing its teeth.

"No… No. Nah now! Nevah in dis lifetime!" Xainia said and suddenly let loose a bloodcurdling scream that echoed through her mind and the young troll's mind too.

Jumping off of her and beginning to flee in terror, the young troll tried to regain himself. Xainia felt the power flowing through her and she stared at her captor with eyes full of scorn and hate. Looking at her arms, Xainia saw them fade into flames of violet and dark blue while they became partly translucent. Her very vision changed; the sands appeared the same violet and blue shades as the ethereal flames raged across her without burning her. The troll began to return towards her, over his fear, but he was not ready for what the young priestess had in store for him.

"Ya gonna die now." She said very simply.

The young troll was about to laugh when he felt the most massive headache he ever had felt, it was as if his mind was being blasted to pieces by something.

"Pain!" Xainia whispered in a dark voice as the young troll in front of her began to feel cramps and pinpricks all across his body.

Already looking very beat up, the young troll coughed out among cries of pain. "What you be?"

"Ah be Xainia, Ah am da one who be killin ya now."

Xainia reached out her hands and beams of blue burning energy shot from them to hit the young troll in the head. The skin began to crackle and boil on his face as he screamed in agony. Slowly the tissue and muscle dripped off of his face, his eyeballs turned to cinders, and he collapsed on the ground dead.

Distracted from their fighting by this sudden outburst, the other two trolls stared at their comrade and at each other. They were already badly injured from fighting. Xainia didn't even drop pace after downing the young troll before she was among them whispering words of pain and wreaking havoc on their minds. Falling even faster than the young troll, the other two collapsed in death. Feeling stronger from obliterating them, Xainia looked around for more of these horrible trolls to destroy.

The laughing voice of her master echoed in her mind. "Ahahaha. Good. You feel the power! This is why you must destroy endlessly as with the centaurs. Each life the shadow takes brings power to you. You have chosen it, you have chosen to rise up and be strong."

Xainia ran to the nearest group, still enveloped by the shadow, and began to lay into them, easily felling them and satiating the shadow. In nearly no time, the camps were clear, dominated by the Xainia's newfound strength. Calmly and coolly, feeling no remorse in the shadow, Xainia walked out of Sandsorrow Watch and headed towards Gadgetzan. Slowly, she regained her normal form as the bloodlust faded from her mind. Checking herself for injuries, Xainia kept walking. She had lost the hand guard from her master, but she no longer needed it. The power of shadow ran through her body. Pausing for a moment she thought of her past actions.

"Do you regret your actions, my pet?" Her master questioned.

Xainia thought for a moment, she had found the power to overcome those who would harm her and more importantly to attack the visions that had once plagued her. She had slain many that night, but she felt no remorse for them. They had been evil and she had repaid them tenfold.

"No." She decided.

"Good. Now you know the way. Use it as you please." Her master stated simply as Xainia walked slowly on into the cool desert night.


	7. Chapter 7: To Avenge a Broken Soul

**Chapter 7: To Avenge a Broken Soul**

"So dis be it." Xainia commented to herself as she looked upon the ancient gates of the city of Zul'Gurub.

Once the home of countless more trolls than Jintha'alor, the city was now host to legions of corrupted trolls, evil beasts, and even the god Hakkar himself. The jungle had overgrown the gates partly and masked the once sacred stone etchings of the true inhabitants.

"This is what you've worked for, dreamed of, and finally reached my pet." The words of Xainia's master came to her.

"Ya, but it not be ova till Hakkar be dead." Xainia thought back.

"Then kill him. You know what you must do."

"Ah dun hafta be reminded." Xainia thought, a bit more sharply.

"Haha, good. Then I shall leave you to it, my pet." The master laughed as his voice faded.

"Move forward into the city!" A deep tauren voice, that of the warrior Brood, announced.

The group he spoke to consisted of a score of souls, wearing various forms and following various callings. One of them, Marylyn, was an Obsidian Guard as Xainia was.

"So you finally made it here. It took me into a second life to partake of adventures like this; you're starting early." Marylyn struck up a conversation with Xainia as they moved in.

"Ah guess." Xainia sighed as they moved in. "Ah coulda an shoulda done dis a long time ago."

As they conversed, Xainia slowly dropped further and further away from the conversation. Fading from existence too, her skin burned with the now very familiar shadowy fire she had come to need. It was so easy for her to transform now, almost like she was releasing herself completely and just going along with the shadows for a ride. Her years of sorrow and pain flowed forth from her palms and destroyed her enemies utterly. No one liked to speak to her while she was in shadow form, but she could not care less.

One by one, the avatars of the primal gods fell before the group. Xainia almost pitied them as they gave thanks for freedom, but in the shadow she scorned them. They had been weak enough to fall prey to Hakkar, to the enemy of the world. Kicking at their robbed corpses, she tagged along with the group loosely, saying words of protection sometimes but mainly wreaking vengeful destruction upon the hakkari trolls.

"This isn't the way to one of the primal gods, there's an altar over that way." Someone in the group spoke up as the group moved around several sets of tents and slew raptors.

"I know. I have heard that a general of sorts resides around here." Brood spoke up to the group.

Entering a dead ended area, they all saw a raised Dais with a mounted troll atop it.

"There he is! The bloodlord, Mandokir."

The rest of the group looked up and him and moved to a safe place, but Xainia was nearly caught in a trance as she looked towards the bottom of the Dais. The dancing visions she had defeated with the shadows nearly returned as her memories flooded around her.

"_A dun care, out tha way."... "Not even Vilebranch, we let ya stay here an ya did dis! Ya killed our the bearah of our savior an ya killed tha only trolls who can summon it again." … "Eat em, alive!"_

The vile troll who had led the procession into the city so many years ago, who had called for the death of her parents, and who's visage had haunted her all this time, knelt at the base of the dais in reality. The Vilebranch speaker, emissary from his tribe to the Hakkari. Xainia hissed loudly as the shadows swirled larger around her and her eyes filled with rage.

Noticing her companion, Marylyn stepped over. "Recognize someone?" the undead questioned.

Xainia began to step forward, but Marylyn caught her arm loosely.

"We're about to attack, don't lose us the element of surprise!" she said sternly and quietly.

"Dun be stoppin me! Dis one be mine!"

Fortunately for the mage, she was able to let go; the warriors called for the charge just then. Xainia charged in quickly behind them.

"What in the name of the Earthmother is she doing?" One of the druids, Telina, asked Marylyn.

"I've learned not to question that one, there are many things about her which would astound the living and the dead. Just keep her alive." The forsaken threw some ice at the Vilebranch speaker.

"Seeing the priest charge in, but not recognizing her, the speaker laughed. "Killin you be easy!"

Before the speaker could draw arms, the warriors were about him, restraining him and beating him like a festive piñata.

"Hey! Hold im for ah secon!" Xainia called out as she reached the warriors.

"Are you serious?" One of the orc warriors questioned. "We have to kill him! Mandokir will come any moment; he is searching for his weapons atop the dais!"

"Den go, ah got dis!" Xainia grabbed the Vilebranch troll by the neck and charged out of the group of warriors with him, pinioning the speaker to the ground.

"Well she is a shadow priest." One of them dismissed it as they turned to engage the approaching bloodlord.

The speaker, now very bloodied and beaten, stared up at his captor from his pinned position. "Wha?"

"So ya gonna try an eat me, ya dam cannibal?" Xainia sneered at the speaker.

"Who you be? You… ah seen you." The troll coughed up some blood.

"Ah let ya know… jus so ya be aware who finally put an end to ya." Xainia slowly moved both of her hands to his face, positioning her fingers at various places on his skull. The troll was too frightened of what shadowy ritual she was performing to resist.

Xainia forced her bad memories forward, letting the speaker see them. _"Parents"_ They muttered quietly in unison as the battle raged in the background. _… "Jintha'alor" … "Ah want mah dessert!" _

The speaker's eyes snapped open as he realized her identity. "You! Nah way! You can't be ahlive!"

Xainia laughed a bone chilling shadow chuckle, full of rage and glee, at the astounded troll. "Ah be alive. Now ya can go fin out how death is fa me!"

Tensing up suddenly, Xainia poured forth shadowy energy from her hands directly into the troll. His face did not begin to warp and melt, she was far too close for that to happen. With a sudden effort, Xainia lifted the troll up, his body held to her hands by the force of the shadow. Her rage and pain seethed into the target through her hands. With barely time to scream, the Vilebranch speaker's facial skin vaporized and his hair ignited into a gigantic crest of blue flame in the air behind him. Xainia roared as she channeled more and more into the close to lifeless troll. She would not let him die; she had the shadows keep him alive to feel every moment of the mind-shattering pain that ate away his body. Watching his hair crumble and fizzle out as the rest of his skin melted off his body, Xainia almost cracked a satisfied maniacal smile. Finally, his head exploded, allowing the shadows to trap him in the shattered cask no longer. Xainia dropped the body and stood over it, breathing heavily.

"Hey, do you want this kilt?" Telina walked over and saw the mess. "By the Earthmother, what did you do to him?"

Snapping out of her near trance at killing her hated enemy, Xainia looked at the red-tinged kilt. "Sure ah take it." She grabbed it from the tauren.

"But wha…" Telina looked at the corpse again.

Xainia looked back at it for a moment, and shrugged before moving behind some cover and putting on the kilt. The others had noticed this act and simply not approached the shadow priest about it. Xainia had accomplished a great vengeance, but she still had more to do, Hakkar had to die. Soon, the score of adventurers moved to the base of his altar, they could see him looking out and sneering at the city from this perch.

"ah dun believe all dese wind serpents be like Hakkar. We gonna hafta kill dem all someday." Xainia spoke generally among the group after they had killed some of the lesser serpents on the altar.

Telina stared at the slightly shorter Troll, pondering over her obsession with Hakkar, the images of the utterly destroyed Troll flashing through her mind, stirring something deep inside her. The group soon engaged and killed the last of the guardians on the altar. The long fight towards the god was finished and hells gate stood open for them to enter in the form of the altar they must ascend.

Telina walked slightly faster now, catching up to Xainia, and tried to start up a conversation with her. "Are you...ready for this?" the tauren asked

Sounding almost venomous at the doubt, Xainia almost dismissed the tauren immediately. "Who ya be ta be askin me dat? Ah ain seen ya before we came ta dis city."

Taken aback by the violent response, Telina stared blankly at the Troll for a few moments, blinking, before replying. "I...don't want you hurt...I can tell you came here for something important to you, it would be a shame to see your quest end unfinished."

"Mah quest ain gonna be unfinished. Ah am Darkspear! We not let Hakkar stay in dis world." Xainia asserted.

The Tauren nodded to her in Silence then thought of more to ask. "What of that Troll back there? May I inquire as to what role he played in your Quest?"

"Ya may not." Xainia turned to go, trying to keep to herself.

Telina didn't want to stay unknowing, so she grabbed the young troll's arm as she tried to leave. This act could have meant nothing more than an inconvenience, but for a druid attuned to nature and the world, it linked them. Both of them were unaware that the shadows carried Xainia's thoughts and emotions so prevalently. Telina's contact showed her, in an instant, exactly what had happened and what was going on. Realizing this was going on, Xainia jumped back away from her, freeing her arm.

Stopping dead in her tracks from the horrible images, Telina could do no more than stare at the Troll, a strange look in her eye "...Xainia..I..."

Looking embarassed at her soul being bore to this stranger, Xainia glared. "Wha did ya see.. ya not supposed ta see dat."

Not breaking her eyes away from the Troll, Telina quickly pondered an answer. "I...saw your torment...I saw why you are here, I know what you seek..." Looking over at the group, now quite far away from the pair, Telina dropped to one knee in front of the Troll. "I want to help you."

Xainia was looking a much darker shade of blue in embarrassment. "Na one wants ta help me." Xainia went to walk up to the group.

Telina also knew this wasn't true. She had seen Xainia's master in a glimpse only, a complication she could not explain for she recognized the undead. Telina stayed down on her knees for a moment, thinking over the quick turn of events before rising up again and catch up to Xainia. Catching up easily, the Tauren fell into step behind Xainia, remaining silent for the time being.

After continuing slightly behind the group for a bit, Xainia half looked over her shoulder, her eyes burning with shadow. "Why ya still followin me."

"I am a part of this group as well, and I still desire to help you, honestly...I have seen the torment you have endured... You did nothing to deserve it"

"Oh, ah guess ya feel observan now, doncha? Ya feel so selfless?"

"Of course not"

Xainia paused and turned to look at Telina. "den... wha ya say ya want ta help?" the shadows lifted slightly.

"Because you deserve it, you deserve release. You have suffered for far too long."

Xainia turned away again. "Nah bodah deserves anahting. We take wha we want, we make ah own fate." Xainia continued to walk away

"Do you really believe in fate?"

"Do you believe this is what was chosen for you? Or what you chose?"

"Dis is what ah chose. Ah make mah futyah"

"But you did not choose to suffer." The Tauren sighed in frustration. "I say I want to help because I truly do want to help you, not myself...again, this is about you, your mission. I am here because I choose to take this chance to help you."

Xainia stopped and turned once more. "Ya woulda just wanted ya help yaself if ya hadn't seen dat... nobodah knew dat. So why ya suddenly change ya mind when ya see dat?"

"I did not know the importance of your Mission, but you are not like the others here, you have a true goal."

"Ah may. Ah dun see how ya could help."

The Tauren fell to one knee once more. "I can help, by serving...protecting...you tell me what you wish."

Finally moved by the commitment of this druid, Xainia came back into existence with a sigh. "Ah dun think it be our call what ta do. lez go catch up." Xainia took telina's hand and ran for the group

The Tauren nodded an obeyed her Master's command, running alongside her, watching her out of the corner of her eye with a curiosity in her eye. Though she had faded in to speak calmly for a moment, the ever closer sight of Hakkar caused her to quickly return into the shadows. Soon she and the group stood staring coldly at the enormous god.

"Dis ting be what da darkspears hafta stop. Ah dun believe dey really brought him back."

Telina nodded silently, breathing in the chilling air that surrounded Xainia, feeling the Dark Energy pulsing through her, again stirring something with-in, and bringing a sharp pain to her side.

"Looks like you've made a new friend" Marylyn commented wryly.

Niether of them paid much heed to the comment, Xainia was too distracted by Hakkar and Telina was distracted by the strange feelings of power and pain that the shadow was giving her.

"You toy with what you don't understand, druid" a dark voice now entered Telina's head

Telina held a hand to her forehead. "What makes you think that you can know her pain? That anyone can know her as I do."

Leaning forward slightly, she whispered softly while thinking. "She is under my protection...I am her Guardian, she is my Master.."

"You assume a place that is not yours, but it will not matter soon enough. Don't step where you are unknowing of the ground." The voice faded

"How are we supposed to expand if we never explore the unknown?" She whispered to herself.

Shaking her head once more, as if it was a mere headache, she looked up again.

While they were daydreaming, the battle was preparing, they were suddenly both brought back from thier thoughs by a scream that couls shatter ten thousand nerves of steel

"Pride heralds the end of your World! Come Mortals, face the Wrath of the Soul flayer!"

The Druid looked back at Xainia as she prepared to enter combat, seeing the Determination in her eye, and sighed to herself in preparation. They both turned to face Hakkar, and moved forward to attack. Still providing some protection for the warriors, Xainia placed her hands forwards slowly and began to pour out shadowy energy at he dark god. The Druid remained as close to Xainia as possible, watching over her, and marking her allies with the mark of Nature as the battle wore on. Suddenly there was one of the wind serpents among them, called by the attacks on its master.

"Kill it! Quick!" someone in the group called out.

Pausing a moment, Telina turned towards the Serpent, and smacked it across the head with her Staff, before taking on a Feral aspect and tearing it apart. It quickly keeled over, but horrible noxious gasses poured from its body.

"Ah dun feel so well" Xainia staggered a bit as did the rest of the group.

Telina too slumped slightly, feeling weaker, like her very life was being sucked out of her, as if she was poisoned. She tried to cure it with the rites of Nature she knew, but nothing worked, slumping more, slowly falling to the ground, she looked around and saw the others turning green, their veins throbbing against their skin.

"Those Serpents...something in them must be poisonous..." She said among the group.

Almost instantly another drain was felt. But for some reason it did not feel bad. It was like the poison was being drained. Xainia looked up and saw it was Hakkar doing this... he looked weaker from it. The druids rose tall again, along with the other fighterm all feeling somewhat renewed and relieved by the escaping poison. Looking towards Hakkar once more, everyone continued to attack… their victory was assured.

Soon Hakkar was well worn down, but something appeared strange, he looked to be reddening all over. He appeared to be close to using his anger for more power.

"Now where have I seen this before.." Telina muttered.

Xainia noticed this too, not knowing how to handle it, she called for her master in her mind. "masta, we not gonna kill im fast enough. He gonna get strongah. Wha can ah do?"

"You have known what destroys strength and well being, my pet, you will realize it in the time you have."

With the few words of her master, Xainia thought of what to do. It would be painful for her, but more so for her target. Brnging forth her years of sorrow and regret, the spirits that had plagued her and kept her from functioning before she found her master, Xainia channeled them all into her attack. The mindflay beam she was issuing turned a deeper shade of blue as all of this began to hit Hakkar.

Telina's eyes widened, sensing the danger coming, she shouted at Brood. "NOW! You must back away, for your own good, recall your soldiers!"

Just as Telina said that, Hakkar began to enrage, but was held back by this sorrow.

The god yelled."What is this? What is in my mind! Get out of my mind you mortals. You are not worthy to effect such things!"

Hakkar began to flail about wildly, he would have easily cleaved everyone around him in this torment. At once, before Hakkar's eyes, all of the trolls sacrificed to him that had wished it were not so rose up in spirit.

"Impossible!" the god yelled as his scaly flesh began to ignite in blue flames.

Quickly his feathers seared off leaving only the serpent he was still writhing about. Telina moved forward, guarding Xainia from the God's wild thrashing. The god's visions were so strong that the others around saw them too. The dancing skeletons and blood drained trolls, along with the walking spirits of the primal gods all came for the evil beast atop the altar. With various implements, they began to hack at the god, opening blue flaying wounds as they did. Falling to his side from damage, the spirits began to hack at Hakkar's upper body. Some of them jumped into his head to cause more chaos there.

Telina stood firm, swatting away the batting limbs, and considering attacking Hakkar herself, unsure of what the Shadow energy might do. However, it was all over soon enough. The charred husk of the god ceased to writhe, and let loose the most terrifying noise.

"Nooooooooooooo" The god yelled in madness and suddenly cut off with a stutter.

The altar was silent and the spirits gone. Xainia walked up, breathing heavily, and kicked the husk. Slowly brood approached too, weapons drawn. In one swift motion, he sliced at the only un-charred part of the god and cut out his evil heart. It rolled before another one of the priests in the group who took custody of it.

Stabbing the husk a few more times, brood proclaimed. "He is dead."

The Druid remained silently in the back, holding her side and breathing deeply, feeling drained, she kept her eyes on Xainia. The others went up to rob Hakkar's corpse while Xainia just stood still almost in a trance once again.

Telina silently moved behind her and whispered simply. "It's over, Xainia."

"Ya. it be ova." she sighed as the shadows dropped from her.

Telina put a hand on Xainia's shoulder lightly as they both watched the group pack up. The group left the city, not wanting to share the strange sights they had seen within. The destruction of Hakkar's heart at Yojamba island only further cemented his inability to return. Zul'gurub would now rest, becoming once again the ruins of an ancient empire that nearly consumed itself before the few tribes saw the way and fought as Xainia of Darkspear and her companions did this day.


	8. Chapter 8: Shadow Egression

**Chapter 8: Shadow Egression**

"Ah no, ah blacked out again." Xainia woke up in the valley of spirits. It was nighttime.

"You have trained long, my pet." The master's voice filled her head.

"Why ya be sayin dat all of ah sudden?" Xainia thought back.

"You will know. Make your way to Shadowbreak Ravine. You will come alone." The master ordered.

"Yes, masta." Xainia rose and began to head out of Orgrimmar.

Elsewhere in Orgrimmar, the master also rose. Several companions accompanied him now. Hasur, one of the horde's greatest shamans, a less trained but still powerful warrior gone shaman, Okquina, and a mage by the name of Ranilok. Following a path into the drag towards the flight towers, the group almost walked in step. The master looked towards the higher tier of Orgrimmar and smiled wryly, his grin crackling amongst the dead flesh on his face.

"This way." He said quietly to his companions as he turned and headed towards the valley of spirits.

Telina, the druid who had accompanied Xainia in Zul'Gurub, was sitting on the heated stone slabs that sat on the water. She often sat there, gazing absent mindedly across the waters. Thinking of recent events, she noticed the group approach. A pain flared up in her side as she felt a presence that had visited her not long ago. The druid watched the group walk for a few moments longer before rising to her feet to follow, curious as to what was happening.

Suddenly, the master halted the group and turned to her, pointing. "You will come with me."

Telina paused, slightly startled, but decided to come, nodding to him silently and falling into step behind him. In her mind, words lit up "You are coming to help us perform a ceremony; one that must be done."

The Druid remained wordless and followed, rolling over this information in her mind. The mental voice was the one she had heard on the altar, and though she could not see this warlocks face, she had seen him in the highest chambers of Blackrock mountain. They headed towards the flight master and all quickly started off for Thunder bluff. The Druid mounted a Wyvern behind Okquina, and watched her as they flew. The Orc stared dead ahead, but the Tauren's gaze was transfixed upon her; she seemed very familiar. Noticing the gaze, Okquina looked over at her, wondering why she was staring.

The Druid stuttered a moment "Er..have we...met before?"

"I don't think so. I ain never seen you before." Okquina said before looking back forward.

"Hmm...I see..." She hesitated a moment, before asking. "Do you know a Troll named Xainia?"

Okquina looked at her incredulously. "Thats why you here isn it?"

The Druid nodded slowly.

"Then why you askin me?"

"I'm sorry, you just seemed familiar." Telina turned her head away from the Orc and looked down, losing herself in thought briefly before turning back to Okquina.

"But one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for everything you did for Xainia" The Druid turned back and fell silent, lost in thought once more.

After a good deal of time, they landed in the great city of Thunder bluff, situated on the four of largest mesas in all of Kalimdor. As she dismounted from the Wyvern, Telina spread her arms out and embraced the warm wind of her home city, closing her eyes and feeling her spirits lift, her fathers words echoing in her mind as they always did... "Wind at your back..." Heading down towards the spirit rise, the many taurens in the city nearly obscured them from view. Reaching the cave on the spirit rise, the master entered alone, leaving the four outside.

The companion that had remained silent the entire journey was rather out of place in natural area such as Thunder Bluff. Ralinok was indeed a strange sight and disturbed the passers by greatly, he was a blood elf. Most of the group even watched him suspiciously out of the corners of their eyes.

The elf took out some arcane powder from his pack and rolled up a piece of parchment, snuffing it all up. "aaaaahhh" he sighed.

Hasur looked away in disgust, while Telina rolled her eyes and turned away also. Okquina sat down near the edge of the mesa and began to have some food.

"So you never said how you know the troll." Okquina spoke in Telina's direction.

"Oh well, I just… I just know a lot about her." Telina stifled an answer.

Hasur walked over to her and looked into her deep brown eyes for a moment then walked away, speaking as he did. "You've seen the madness too. I can tell. I don't know why she showed you or how you saw it, but you know it all."

"Yes, I… I did see it." Telina looked embarrassed at being read so easily.

"Then that's why he brought you." Okquina spoke between bites of her food.

Soon, the master returned with another companion at his side, also an undead. It was the powerful priest Malakai Cross, skilled in both light and shadow.

"This had better be worth my time." The priest said to the master.

"I assure you, you will see things that you have never witnessed before, priest." The master led the group back towards the flight tower.

"I find that hard to believe, but I shall come for now." Malakai spoke cynically.

"We head for Ferlas." The master mentioned as he continued.

The group took to the air again on the long flight to Camp Mojache. Malakai conversed with the blood elf and tried to pry into how his new use of demonic magics had changed him. Telina kept focused on Okquina. The orc had been in the visions she had seen from Xainia. Okquina had been so involved with Xainia and knew so much, but Telina felt out of place asking anything of her.

After they landed at Camp Mojache, the master led the group to the north into the wilderness. As they walked the eccentric blood elf spied a wisp floating around and consumed it in a flash of magic. Though the shamans were not aligned with the wisps, this disturbed them slightly.

Telina, as a druid, was disgusted at this barbary. "Worse than some Undead." She thought silently.

As they passed by Grimtotem and Woodpaw camps, the woods became quieter and quieter. As quickly as the silence had settled, a growl interrupted the serenity.

"A beast is near, arm yourselves" Okquina said, slipping back to her grunt instincts.

Telina let loose a quiet, feral growl and then sniffed the air about her, looking for a trace of the foe. Without a care as to who it faced, a bear strode up to the group. Its upper arms were covered in scarring from burns that were healing. Quickly, the bear took on a humanoid form, but this form caused all in the group except the master to draw weapons. It appeared to be a night elf.

"It is you, undead" The elf spoke.

"Stay your weapons, please" the night elf spoke in orcish.

Already stunned that the elf was speaking orcish, the group lowered weapons. Telina sighed and then looked the Elf over, glancing at the Blood Elf in comparison.

"What kind of strange night elf are you to speak with the horde?" Ranilok questioned.

Telina snorted at the irony as the blood elf was speaking in orcish too.

"My name is Ic'nay, or at least that is the name I have taken. I forsook elfkind long ago." The night elf spoke again. They noticed that his teeth were misaligned, almost appearing to be primitive fangs. "Elves are a magical perversion of trolls. We must forsake even our heritage to become one with nature."

"As much as trolls no longer trouble me, to deny being an elf is madness." Ranilok asserted

"Each to his own, you forsook what you once were to embrace these sundering magics.. Through my choice, I have retained nature's immortal blessing which my kind has lost. However, I will slowly cease to be an elf, becoming something that I do not know; something that we once were."

Turning to the Blood Elf, Telina spoke up "Look, we're not here for history on the Elves, we're here to help someone. Now, drop your bickering, you wisp eating freak, and let's go..." She turned back onto the path and pressed on.

Ranilok simmered for a moment, looking slightly peeved, but stifled it as he noticed the rest of the group was moving on. Malakai busily watched the night elf, wishing to discover all the changes that had come over him.

"This journey is somewhat interesting… but elves are not too strange of a sight." He thought.

Soon, they were into steep terrain that could not normally be scaled. The master brought out a bag of climbing gear and began to head on, stringing it behind him for everyone else.

Ranilok laughed to himself, trying to get back into the flow of the group. "Just like the old days, M."

"Yes, I suppose" The master idly commented.

The trees became sparser as they continued up the hill and soon the land began to look foul. The group was clearly no longer in Feralas. As they crested the top of the rise, they saw the source of this corruption, a shadowy valley with gigantic mushrooms growing in it, Shadowbreak ravine.

The master approached a circle of stones on the highest rise in the valley after packing up the climbing gear. "We have one more member which we must bring forth." The master drew a stone from his pouch, a regular purple one, and began to weave a summoning portal.

"A powerful warlock, even moreso than myself. Aid me." He began to open the portal.

"More trouble than him, too?" Telina muttered, before moving forward to assist.

Malakai held on the portal, wanting to see what could be more powerful; his aid was not enough.

"Oh you're bringing him…" Ranilok sighed and quickly helped.

The portal grew greatly in size, and then from the hole in existence, four black long legs came out. Parts of a long robe were seen next, followed by an enormous body and many more legs.

"By Nerub, it is hot down here." a very shadowy voice came from the being.

"Neru'Rekhan, it is good to see you again."

Telina's ears fell low behind her horns, and she sighed quietly, backing up slightly, watching the Neru'rekan. Before the group stood a true Nerubian, one of the few still alive beyond the grasp of the lich king. Shadows poured off of him, much greater power eminated from him than any shadows that anyone in the group had witnessed.

Telina put her hand to her head and another to her side, a headache gripping her. Neru'rekan noticed this and laughed almost mockingly, pushing more shadow in her direction and watching her squirm in distress.

"Methuselah, I do not wish to remain here. The spider kingdom needs my power. We will do this quickly."

The master looked at the large spider. "That is not my name anymore."

"Such does not matter." The spider dismissed the error.

"Then let us begin." The master led the group to the stones.

"We are here today because of a common acquaintance we all have. One whom Hasur told me of and shared his visions of nearly a year ago. Some of us have been involved, others have stumbled upon this" the master eyed Telina. "and some of us are simply here to help in the ceremony. Now the time has come, Xainia has completed what she set out to accomplish. She can no longer be trained by me and she is too powerful to be controlled."

"Nothing is too powerful to control, Methuselah, but continue" the spider interrupted

Telina snickered quietly now at the spider portraying the master as a novice.

"She will arrive here soon, and you will participate in freeing her." The master knelt down and began to draw runes on the ground with a piece of chalk.

"Such will not do for this, Methuselah" The spider looked at the simple chalk that was being used.

"My name is Maldelic, Neru'rekan." The undead was slightly irked.

"You are nonetheless the same being. This ceremony requires blood."

"Must all Spiders be blood drinkers?" Telina sighed in her mind.

The spider spied a corrupt orc walking through the ravine. Charging it, he picked it up bodily as it screamed in absolute terror. Quickly the spider bit its head off and bled it onto a nearby indentation in a stone that looked to be used for such purposes.

"Guess so..." Telina confirmed her own suspicions.

The night elf druid shivered and looked away as the other tried to simply not pay attention. Ranilok began sneaking with a hungry look on his face towards one of the four imps following Neru'rekan around.

The spider glared at him. "Control yourself, elf. You should know better than trying a trick like that."

Ranilok tried to change the subject by questioning Neru "Is orc blood really so useful in summoning?"

"You would not understand blood rituals. You are not a warlock." The spider drew over the chalk symbols in blood.

Telina was still entertained by the group's behavior. It was amazing that such a wide assortment of beings were brought together for this. Looking out over the corrupted vale, the sights and smells brought Telina's mind off what lie behind her, and she looked out for a moment, thinking things over, then she wondered... "Where -was- Xainia..?"

Xainia headed through the Stonetalon Mountains to reach the ravine. It had taken her quite some time to reach that point on her raptor. It was nearly nighttime the day after she had left Orgrimmar by the time she was even entering Desolace. As she headed south towards the ravine, she thought of what this might be.

"Ah dun wanna be back 'round here. Ah done with dis place." She thought. "Wha da masta want me here?"

"_Because he's going to forsake you, leave you, kill you." A voice inside her jided._

"Dat not be true… whose voice dat be?" she continued to speak in her mind.

"_I'm you of course. Don't worry… even if he leaves, I'll take care of things."_

"What ya mean?"

"_I'll take care of you. No one ever seems to want you in this world. Don't you feel it? They'll want us. I'll make them need us… fear us… obey us."_

"Ah dun need anah a dat. Tha masta take care of me."

"_You'll see…"_

Xainia shrugged off the strange presence and continued riding. It took her some time to cross the vastness of Desolace, her raptor becoming tired and running slower. Night had fully fallen by the time she reached the entrance to the ravine. She needed to head into the ravine, but something obstructed her, leering at her along with its felhunter. A warlock she had met once in her journeys, Selima.

Soon after Telina had thought of where Xainia could be, the symbol was completed. It was a seven sided shape with a seven pointed star in the center and spiraling shapes coming out from it. At each vertex, there was a circle for one of the members to stand in.

"Despite this being a ritual governed by demonic magics, the land upon which is it performed must be purified. This is why we must ask aid of you druids. The elements must also be kept at bay, so we need the aid of the shamans. Then there is this." Maldelic drew the strange blue crystal from his pouch. "This crystal is what binds her soul. It may only be broken by very strong channeling of arcane and shadow magics. Finally, when the... subject… arrives, she must be kept alive by our priest. I may not be present at this ceremony. I cannot break this binding of my own will, the crystal is beyond that."

"Consider it a price for you to pay for using an artifact beyond your training, young warlock." Nerub'rekan warned. "Control shards for your kind are only meant to be used by us, or perhaps those damned dragons."

Much of the group looked disturbed again at the spider cursing dragons, but the favors they owed to the master or their involvement kept them from leaving the area. More time passed while the tolerated each other, but soon they all began to wonder where the priest was.

"Where is your subject, Methuselah? My time is precious."

Maldelic concentrated for a moment then a slightly grave look appeared on his face. "Something is happening at the entrance to the ravine. We may need to interrupt it."

Meanwhile at the entrance to Shadowbreak Ravine, Selima confronted the priest.

"Where do you think you are going, priest?"

"Wha ya askin me dat?" Xainia questioned.

"So polite this time? Going to try to lie and say you are a priest of light again?" Selima jeered at the shadow priest.

The two had met before in felwood, Xainia had watched the warlock, but had been spotted and hunted down. Failing to defeat the warlock without the shadows, Xainia's shadow had expressed itself and frightened even this powerful warlock. But in this discovery, she had discovered the master too, and vowed to destroy them both for participating in this pact; Maldelic for corrupting, Xainia for surrendering her free will.

"Dun be in mah way." Xainia said calmly.

"A threat?" Selima challenged her

"Ah dun want ta fight ya." Xainia tried to continue on, but she was suddenly bit by a burning feeling, Selima was attacking.

Quickly calling upon her soul for protection, Xainia rid herself of the foul warlock spell. She began to try to burn away at Selima's energy. However, the skilled warlock simply returned her energy at the cost of some life.

"You burn away my energy like it is yours! I'll have it back." Selima motioned with her hands and suddenly began to steal Xainia's energy directly.

Finding herself barely able to keep her protection up, Xainia was almost out of options. She quickly used the rest of her energy to dispose of the felhunter before it got involved.

Atop the ravine, the master explained more to the group. "She cannot come into contact with me. Someone else must go."

Telina sighed. "I will do it." She turned towards the Entrance, moving away and muttering something.

Neru'rekan poked more shadows at her for entertainment as she walked away. She felt it and was surprised such a powerful being was so easily amused.

As Telina headed down, the battle continued to rage. Finally, running out of energy completely, Xainia fell to one knee. Selima looked slightly haggard from converting her life into energy, but she had the upper hand.

Xainia, as drained as she was, was still not injured. "Wha ya doin dis?" She jumped forward and tackled Selima.

Selima cast a fearful shadow spell at Xainia, making her run away momentarily. "You cannot be forgiven for what you've done. You gave up your own free will."

Telina came to a stop on a rock above the two, listening in briefly. Xainia recovered herself and stood a distance from Selima.

"Ah made ah choice... an ah've killed Hakkar wit His help. How can ya be blind ta wat's happend?"

"Selima, did you even know her before he came along? There was no will to give..." Telina thought.

"I'll make quick work of you now, and then I'll move on to your master. I can sense it… he is near." Selima drew a shard out of her bag with great speed and began to weave a gigantic ball of fire around it.

The Druid sighed once more, looking around and muttering something, moving her hands over the ground. The ground underneath Selima began to creep about and grow plants.

"That's it! Let your focus on revenge make you blind..." Telina muttered, as Vines broke out of the ground and wrapped around the Warlock's legs.

Selima noticed the vines suddenly. "You can't stop this spell from finishing you! Even if you have someone helping you!"

"Ah had enough ah dis." Xainia raised her hand and made a motion across her mouth. Immediately, the spell dissipated.

Selima tried to speak. " .. ..."

"Nah mah talking fa ya." Xainia turned and walked away from the warlock.

Telina chuckled and then forced a Vine to wrap around the Warlock's arms, binding them to each side.

"I'm sorry, Selima, but this is for your own good, I'm not going to let your lust for blood and vengeance destroy this moment."

Back atop the ravine, the master made the final preparations for the ceremony. "She is past this challenge. I must go. Not only may I not destroy the crystal, but if I were here I would be bound to interfere in the ritual. Neru'Rekan, my companions, I hold any debts you have owed me fulfilled if this ritual succeeds. Ranilok, send me somewhere far away."

"The dead city should suffice." Ranilok began to make a portal.

"Goodbye."

Ranilok opened the portal on top of Maldelic, not allowing him to even choose to enter. The warlock fell through the portal. Neru'rekan reached forward over the symbol and slammed the crystal into the ground at the center of the symbol, planting it firmly.

"Are you alright, Master?"

At the entrance to the ravine, Xainia looked up at Telina.

"Telinah? wha ya doin here?"

"I'm making sure you're alright, come on, let's go."

Xainia rose and followed, not knowing what was going on. The spider began to weave enchantments around the crystal at the ritual site.

Where is that druid. We must all be present to begin" Neru'rekan was slightly irate.

"I'm here, Neru..." Telina said as she approched the Spider from behind, Xainia following further back.

Xainia looked very bewildered to the crowd and seemed to be pausing every few moments. Inside her mind, she was completely affrighted.

"_You see… they are here to take your master away from you."_

"Nah, tha masta nevah leave." Asserted in her mind.

"_But he will.. and then.. what will you do?"_

"'e won… ah know it." Xainia continued to think

Telina took her place in the circle. More concerned with the ritual now, the spider refrained from sadistically poking the shadow-prone druid.

"Druids, begin this, cleanse the land." The spider commanded.

Xainia saw Telina scowl silently at the spider, but the tauren followed his command, bowing her head in a gesture of obedience to her as she did. Ic'nay also brought forth the spirits of nature to cleanse this small blood-soaked patch of land. Kneeling down, Telina put her hands to the ground, rubbing it gently, as if calming a restless animal, mouthing ancient words. The land turned from a corrupt shade of purple to a verdant green. As this change occurred, the crystal at the center of the shape suddenly shot up, drawing energy from the ground, and grew to be nearly ten feet tall. The lines of blood solidified into crystal as the crystal soaked them up.

Xainia was strangely drawn to the crystal. As she approached, the deep blue markings across her skin lit up. Her face was full of fear, but she was drawn towards it more. Telina closed her eyes as she began to glow, feeling her own skin burn in reaction to all the powers around her. Inside the crystal, a life-size image of Xainia seemed to be suspended. It could be half seen through the walls of the crystal. Malakai seemed very riveted by the whole event; it was indeed worth his time to attend. Telina raised a dirtied hand to her face and wiped away a tear before returning to her work. The power was brining back bad memories for her. Clouds began to form around the site as fires lit up on the edges of the rise they were on. The shamans began to weave spells to ward them off.

"Wha.. wha dis? " Xainia muttered, holding close to the crystal.

"_It is where you lose him." The voice in her head spoke again._

"You have come to a point of change, child. You will no longer be controlled and dominated by a master. As much as I would like to see your kind enslaved, this service I must perform." Neru'rekan spoke darkly to the troll.

Telina grunted where she was, visably holding herself back from attacking the spider, her hands becoming clawed momentarily.

"But... no.. ah canna do dis. He wouldn wan it." Xainia protested.

It will be done. Prepare yourself." The spider allowed for no failure.

Meanwhile in the Undercity, Maldelic felt the crystal be opened and enlarged. As much as he would have been uninvolved, a frenzied feeling from the crystal gripped him and he ran for the zeppelin. He checked his pouch for the blue crystal as if he had not known that he had left it in the ravine.

In Shadowbreak, the spider nodded to the priest to begin healing. Malakai picked up his strongest spells of light and kept a careful watch.

"Ranilok, begin your channeling."

The blood elf called forth the arcane magics that flowed through him and attacked the crystal with them. Immidiately, Xainia begin to be affected by the spell, Malakai had to work quickly to keep her from falling. The arcane magic swirled around the crystal in one direction. As soon as the pattern picked up, Neru'rekan began to channel powerful shadows. The shadow locked in an opposite spiral creating a helix of nether energies about the shape. Telina felt the strain of shadow tainting the very air and land around her, grunting as it came in full force, then channeling the power of nature to combat it. Malakai too wavered under the strain on trying to constantly keep the troll alive. Slowly, the crystal turned from a blue shade to a color of white. The shape inside of it began to pass out of it and descend on Xainia. By this time, the master was on the zeppelin, confusing passers by as he beat on the motor box, trying in vain to make it go faster. The blue patterns across Xainia's skin slowly began to erase, she felt inside like she was being released from a harness that had held her securely in the air for so long.

"No... masta... don't. Ah can't... ah don't know.."

In a final burst of power, the crystal shattered into white sand. Across the world, Maldelic fell to one knee. As if he was having a mortal heart attack, he paused and held his chest.

"It is done... her fate is now her own." The frenzy left him. He was freed from the crystal now too.

The shadows cleared and the air began to return to normal in the ravine. Xainia wept and then fell unconscious. Feeling Xainia's thoughts and emotions, Telina reached out to her adopted master, calling to her. All she saw in return was racing feelings, the mind of her 'master' like a frightened animal. The others coud not understand why Xainia would weep. Telina sat hunched forward, gasping deeply, her dirtied hands holding her up.

The spider turned from the party "It is finished."

Telina crawled towards Xainia, craddling her in her arms, able to feel her thoughts and Emotions with ease. Okquina approached too, doing the same

"So sentimental. How humanoid." The spider cast a returning spell and faded with those last words of insult.

Telina paid the Spider no attention, this time. "It's done, Xainia..." Telina whispered, closing her eyes.

"I must return, they will miss my presence at Thunder Bluff. This was a truly amazing day." Malakai disappeared too, calling upon his hearthstone.

"I too cannot remain in this tainted land." Ic'nay left.

Ranilok left too muttering something about finding more energy. Only hasur, Okquina, and Telina remained with her.

Telina sighed, picking the Troll up and rising. "I will take her back to Orgrimmar and keep her safe...do you want me to say anything to her before the final farewell?"

"No, I am just glad things are finally set right." Okquina said.

"As am I" Hasur echoed.

Telina nodded. "It is time for her to rest...farewell, Okquina, Hasur." The Druid bowed her head to each of them, then turned and started on the way back 'home'.

"_He is gone… see… I told you." The voice tormented Xainia again_.

"He is… ah.. ah don't know what to do." Xainia faced the voice in her mind. It appeared as a shadowy version of her self in this dream.

"_I do. I will make the world know our power… I will show you the way."_

In her mind, Xainia relaxed in a sign of surrender. She was powerful enough to survive on her own, but the dependence she had developed blinded her. The shadowy version of her smirked and walked over, holding the light version.

"_Now, it is my time."_

As Telina approached the exit of the ravine, Xainia suddenly faded into shadowform.

Sliding out of the druids grasp she looked strange, meaner. She began to walk away slowly.

"...Xainia?" Telina called out, but the troll did not turn. Telina moved quickly, following behind her. "Master?"

Xainia still did not stop. Walking right past the still bound warlock at the entrance to the ravine, she smiled evilly. The Druid reached for Xainia's shoulder, ignoring the pain the shadows wrought, she grabbed gently.

Xainia shrugged the hand off and spoke to Selima.

"See, yah futah's end. Dis is mah time now." The troll left Selima and moved away much faster now, calling her raptor and riding away.

Selima turned to Telina. "You have no idea what you've done, druid."

"And I don't know what you would have done, either." Telina turned away, calling her own mount to her, and following after.

The priest however, was nowhere to be found. She had ridden off, covered in the shadows, into a fate now determined by this chaotic energy.


	9. Chapter 9: The Cleansing of Jintha'alor

**Chapter 9: The Cleansing of Jintha'Alor**.

"Ah no, ah blacked out again." Xainia woke up in the Ring of Valor in Orgrimmar. This time there was no voice to speak to her; she was left in the silence of the unused building.

The times that Xainia recalled being awake waned, she felt empty and saddened without the powers that had helped her overcome her troubles in the past year. The new voice which she heard only rarely rang of cold, cruel logic. Nonetheless, it was a voice as she was so used to, and she had placed her trust in it blindly.

"What can ah do? Ah've nah ta work fa." Xainia thought to herself. "Da east no scare me tho, ah can kill Hakkar." She continued thinking.

Suddenly a strange thought occurred to the troll. "Ah could go back dere. Ah heard plentah ah mah allies always askin about goin dere… it can't be too bad."

"_But if you go, the memories will come. You can't handle it."_ The voice in Xainia's head spoke coldly.

Despite the voice, Xainia pulled a piece of paper and a charcoal pencil from her bag. She began to compose a sign. "Den ah get help."

The sign she began to compose read simply:

Help Wanted  
Hallo. Ah be gatherin friends of tha horde ta make ah trip ta tha forest troll city of Jintha'alor. We be headin all tha way ta tha ampitheata atop ta visit where mah parents last stood... ...

Suddenly, the memories she had overcome or avoided returned to her without the confidence her master's presence had provided. Her writing scrawled off the page and the voice spoke again.

"_Ah, now you've done it. But you have a good idea. I will take care of this."_

Xainia glowed with dark light as she faded into the shadows. She picked the writing back up in a much more frienzied fashion, nearly puncturing the piece of parchment.

"_We be goin ta kill every one ah dem dam cannibal trolls in da city. Not ah single one be survivin when we done. We gonna need an army a least! We demand an army. Dey be destroyed fa what dey did, fa helpin Hakkar! Sack tha city! Burn tha city! Even da warchief hates forest trolls, ya all should hate em too! We be meetin in tha courtyard of tha dead city an ridin on horseback ta Jintha'alor. Dis be happenin Sunday past da midday._

Signed - Shadow Priestess Xainia

Cracking an evil grin, the shadowy figure looked up and ran out of the ring of valor to post this note at the Orgrimmar bank. As she walked through the crowded city in shadow form, many stepped aside. The shamanistic nature of many orcs made them now revile the shadow and darkness that had once blinded them. Tacking the note in a prominent place after the several mile walk through the drag to the enormous bank building, Xainia looked around the open area of the canyon which was the common area of Orgrimmar. Thinking to her self, the shadowy figure went over what she could do.

"Ah must find moah enahgy. Dah shadow must be fed." The dark form thought.

The shadows taxed Xainia greatly when they were expressed to this level. This only seemed to happen since she had completed her training and moreso since her decision when she was freed. Her kindness and sanity slept, while this dark persona walked her body around the world. Before, her master had told her that destroying enemies increased her power, but now this destruction was required by this shadow entity for it to keep control.

"Hey, you help me in Ragefire canyon, priestess?" A very untrained looking orc walked up and spoke to Xainia.

"Sure…" The shadowy figure answered, grinning evilly out of sight.

"Thank you, now I say what kill and where go in here." The orc spoke somewhat thanklessly.

Xainia followed the orc silently into the caves under Orgrimmar. Feeling invulnerable with such backup, the orc fearlessly charged into the center of a group of troggs and rock worms.

"Ah no, whatever am ah to do?" Xainia threw up her hands as she watched the young orc torn limb from limb, her regular self unaware of such an atrocity. The activities of the shadow were never known by the light. Xainia walked out of the caverns and headed back to the Ring of Valor, knowing she would not have enough time to find energy before she ran out. Lying down on the fur rug in the back of the ring after the long walk to return to it, the shadows faded and Xainia slept.

"Ah no, ah blacked out again." Xainia woke up in the Ring of Valor in Orgrimmar. This time there was no voice to speak to her; she was left in the silence of the unused building.

"Ah was writin ah lettah… it be gone. Maybe ah delivered it." She thought silently.

Listening carefully, Xainia heard another presence in the ring for once. Another troll was poking around one of the entrances to the ring. Xainia got against the wall under the large awning in the ring and watched carefully. The troll was wearing a suit of black leather armor with silver threading, two sharp looking weapons, and a wolf's head mask. The Troll glanced around, looking for others in the quiet arena. She had one hand on a weapon, as if expecting a fight. Xainia continued to keep an eye on her, removing a roasted quail from her bag and gnawing on it.

The thin Troll sighed. "Ah guess 'dey dun do tournaments 'ere..."

Xainia moved a little, catching the other troll's eye. Noticing the small Troll huddled by the fire, she loosened her grasp on her weapon. Keeping her wits about her, she crouched slightly and approched Xainia.

Xainia sighed and thought. "Ah nah, she noticed me."

" 'Ey 'dere...yah alright...?" Zilis leaned forward and spoke from behind the mask.

Xainia looked back at the wolfish-looking other troll. "Yah. who yah be?"

" 'Dey call meh Primal Zilis, ahn ya?"

"It not be important." Xainia shrugged off the question. "Why ya come 'ere, nobodah come 'ere."

Zilis raised an eyebrow. " Ah...be lookin' tah see if 'dey 'ave anah tournaments 'ere... What'chu doin' 'ere?"

"Ah dunno ah always wake up 'ere. Ah startin ta think it be mah home."

"Ya jis wake up 'ere, eh? Yah Black out?" Zilis questioned.

"Ah think."

Zilis casted her glance to the side, taking in this information. "Ah see..."

"Dere nevah be tournaments here. Dis place be shut down." Xainia scooted away from the wall. "Ah surprised ya din know dat. But dis be ah big city."

"Ah usually be out...workin'" Zilis said, guarding her profession.

"An what work dat be?" Xainia asked.

"Ah be ahn Assassin..." Zilis decided to let the other troll know.

"Dat sound ghastly." Xainia commented.

Zilis shrugged. "Eit be what ahm used tah...ah live jis like 'dah Wolf do...kill as ah need tah..." Her voice trailed off.

Xainia grabbed her head for a moment. "Wha yah say? Mah head hurts."

"Ah...nothin'" Zilis said.

Xainia continued to hold her head, a voice spoke inside of it to her.

_"She is dangerous... far too close. I will take care of this."_ Suddenly, Xainia stood up and walked towards the troll, shadow seemed to seep from her pores as she cracked an evil grin. Her hairstyle changed from a long bunch of hair standing up in a hard cylinder to a short cut with two sharp fins on the sides and one on top.

The Rogue took a quick step back, her hands moving near her weapons, but not indicating a draw. "...!"

Xainia's voice sounded much meaner now. "What yah be doin here. Dis be mah place."

The spirits of the wolf in Zilis stirred now, and she felt the deep evil brewing inside the Priest. "'Ou...'Ou yah be! What'chu doin' in 'dis Troll, Evil Spirit!"

Xainia laughed. "Evil spirit? Oh yah entertain me. Yah be da one causin trouble here. Yah be tha one out of place."

"Ah naht be 'day one stealin' bodies!" Zilis was bearing teeth and growling like an animal now.

"Yah think dis body not be mine? Ya be ah fool." The evil voice echoed.

"Ya be noddin' but evil thoughts, 'ate, angah. Ya 'ave nah 'eart, 'dis Priest does, ya be takin' er bodah."

"If yah keep sayin dat ah have ta punish yah. Yah keep away from me. Yah not be safe. Ah dun know yah." Now Xainia sounded threatening.

Zilis quickly drew her weapon in anger, pointing it directly at the Priest's face. "Ah nevah be safe, ahn ahm not leavin' dis Priest tah be consumed bah yah."

"Oh yah be sorrah for pullin out dat blade." Xainia's shadowy hand reached out, but as it did, the shadow started to fade from it. "Dammit. Tired. Sah tired... ah must feed. Nah. Nah ta kill here." She fell to one knee and passed out on the ground, the shadows leaving her.

As the Troll fell forward, Zilis tossed her weapon into the air and caught it by the hilt. She jumped forwards and caught Xainia too before she hit the ground.

Zilis sighed. "Ah know wat ah must do." She bowed her head in acknowledgement to the Wolf Spirits.

Slowly coming to, Xainia looked up at who was holding her. "Ah nah, ah blacked out again. Who yah be.. ah know yah.. Zilis? Wha ah be in ya arms?"

"Ya...passed out in front ah me." Zilis spoke, her Wolf Mask now removed and lying near the fireplace.

"Ah did... ah be sorrah. Mah head was hurtin, now ah be tired, so tired." Xainia yawned.

"Dun worrah about it..." Zilis fell silent a moment, staring downwards. "Ya 'ungry?"

"Yah, if it not be quail. Ah be tired ah quail." Xainia said, almost like a child.

She turned around for a moment and dug through one of her packs, turning up some fish. "'Dis work? Ah kin git yah somethin' else if yah need it..." Zilis smiled.

A voice echoed in Zilis' head. _"You can stay for now... but if you harm me you will wish you'd never been born."_

"Ri' back at yah, paracite." Zilis thought, knowing what had spoken to her.

Zilis looked around behind her, making sure the Ring was still empty. "Ya prollah be needin' Rest...gah ahead."

"Why yah bein so nice ta me? Ah hardly know yah." Xainia asked.

"...Ah...er...yah be reminding meh ah som'un ah used tah know." Zilis shrugged akwardly.

"How. ah dun tink dere be manah like me." Xainia inquired more.

The rogue stood up, avoiding Xainia's gaze slightly. "'Dey dun need tah be jis like yah...yah remind meh ah mah sistah."

Looking apologetic, Xainia replied. "Ah, ok. well if it be bad ah be sorrah."

She smiled. "Naht at all, mah Sistah be ah wonderful person."

"Den dat be good."

"Yah...ya be needin' some sleep...ah'll leave yah be." Zilis turned and started to walk away, her thoughts racing.

"Nah. dun leave. Hardla anahone eva come here an now you go too?"

Zilis stopped in her tracks. "Ah figured ya would want privahcy.."

Zilis turned to look Xainia in the eye, still smiling, the Wolf Mask lop-sided on her head.

"Nah. ah be alone all dah time. It get boring." Xainia walked over to Zilis.

"Ah see... Yah wan more fish?" She held up a fish from her pack.

"Sure. thank ya. " Xainia went and sat by the fire.

Zilis followed her, taking her helm off and sitting it by the fire again. Xainia sat on the same side as Zilis. "Aren't yah gonna eat anahting?"

"Hrm? Ah, ahm naht 'ungry…" Zilis shook her head.

"Wha? It be noon... ah think… Actually ah dun know when it be." Xainia wondered.

"Noon'? Nah moness, it beh inta dah night..." Zilis corrected her.

"Ah musta slept long. Ah can't keep track ah time."

Zilis glanced away, pondering if the Priestess would trust her. Realizing she still didn't know her name, she asked again. "Whas ya name?"

"Xainia." The priestess actually decided to answer.

Zilis nodded quietly, then to her surprise, Xainia lay down across her. "So can ah call yah mah friend?" Xainia asked.

Zilis blinked. "Er...yah, yah kin."

"Dat be good. Ah nah had ah friend."

"...Ya 'aven't?"

"Nah. It jus been me. Well nah... Ah sorta remembah someone else, ah tauren, but mah memory be gone bad someha."

Zilis was more intrigued. "Ah see..."

Xainia yawned and turned towards the fire. "Ah gettin sleepy. Ya gonnah stay here, friend?"

"Sure...yah be needin' anahtin from 'dah Citah, 'doh?"

"Nah, ah dun hardly eva need anahting. Nevah awake long enough ta. Always tired."

Zilis nodded, lying back slightly. "Sah, Xainia...where yah from?" She stared into the Fireplace intently.

"Fa away, Eastern." Xainia yawned again. "Kingom."

The Fireplace ignited an image of the Hinterlands to Zilis. "Reallah?"

"Yah." Xainia mumbled.

"Where abouts?"

"Jintha'alor." Xainia grasped her head for a sec but just yawned, taking her hands away from it. "Ah had ah headache fah ah sec but ah tired."

Zilis glared into the fire, able to see bits and peices of Xainia's memories there. "Ah headache?"

"Yah, but ah so tired it went away."

"...Ah see."

Zilis leaned back, her head falling back against the wall, and she sighed.

"Ah lived dere with mah parents, but we didn't want to live there" More of Xainia's memories burned in the fire. "We always had ta eat da same ting. Always wolf meat."

Zilis nodded in the silence.

"But ah escaped dere. Ah think ah was gonnah go back... Ah was writing a letta. Nevah saw if eet got delivered."

The Flames etched these words into images. Zilis remembered seeing the letter posted at this image, but said nothing about it.

"Ah nevah told people dis before." Xainia sighed.

"Yah never 'ad a chance...didja?"

The image of Telina flared up in the fireplace for a moment, too quickly for Zilis to register the face. "Nah, ah always blackout. But ah be so tired right now, ah dunno why."

"Ah go ta sleep now." Zilis patted Xainia.

"Ah see yah in dah morning." Xainia shifted around a bit and settled down.

Zilis smiled. "Ahkay..."

Xainia went to sleep across Zilis.

Sighing quietly, Zilis thought. "Nah what?" She looked at her Wolf helm, as if expecting an answer. Not receiving one, she ate some of the food that she had while Xainia fell asleep and then slid Xainia off of her self and went to sleep close by. Zilis thought as she drifted off. "Well. She like food. Ah should go get sometin good."

After sleeping for a bit, Zilis snuck off to find what she wished to get for Xainia. Xainia awoke the next morning in the ring, alone. "Zilis?" Xainia looked around then frowned. "Maybe ah dreamed 'er up. Ah knew it wa too nice ta be true."

"_Yes, most definitely too nice. Now come with me... my time."_ The shadowy voice spoke.

"Huh?" Xainia muttered as she faded into the shadows. She rose and headed out of the Ring of Valor, giving glares to the guards at the gateway. Calling her raptor, she rode quickly for the gate of the city and spoke softly to herself. "Now, what can ah kill taday."

Back in the Ring of Valor, Zilis returned only minutes later to check on Xainia. "Xainia..? Xainia, ya be 'ere? Ah brought some food fer yah!"

Xainia had by this time reached the zeppelin platform outside the city. Sensing the other troll, Xainia paused on the platform and turned towards the city. "Somebodah be in mah domain." The shadow laughed. "It be her, she think she know me. She be comin far too close."

Zilis walked through the Ring of Valor, unable to find her new friend. "Where culd she be...?" Setting the food down near the fire under the awning, Zilis went outside to ask the guards where her friend had gone. "Ey, mon, ya seen ah Troll comin' outta 'ere? 'Bout 'dis tall...blue skin?" she held her hand about the same height as herself.

One of the guards nodded. "Yeah, but she was so full of shadow that it was scarin even us."

Zilis looked worried, but she nodded. "When'd she leave?"

"I wouldn' follow her, yer crazy if you do." The other guard saw what the troll was thinking from her actions.

"...Ah naw..." She looked at the guards. "Ah can handle her." Zilis shook her head then looked up solemnly. "Danks mon, ah gotta go!"

Zilis called her raptor and headed as quickly as she could out of the horde capital city. Coming to a stop just outside Orgrimmar, she fell to one knee. Inspecting the many footprints of the ground, she sniffed the air. Catching Xainia's sent easily, she looked up. The air containing Xainia's sent became a faint red to her. She smiled and thanked the Spirits before chasing after her.

Arriving in Tirisfal some time later, Xainia disembarked from the quick traveling vessel and headed towards the Undercity. She didn't reach it though, the sight of several members of the scarlet crusade on pikes infront of the city caught her eye.

"Ah, ha perfect. Hearthglen. Encourahged murda. Dere be plentah ah tings ta kill fa enahgy." She grinned in expectation and called her raptor to head off to the western plaguelands.

On the other side of the World, Zilis sat cross legged near the zeppelin tower; she would have to wait for the next transport which would come quite some time later. The shamanistic rogue's eyes were closed in a meditative state, pondering over the recent events. Visuals of Xainia's other self raced through her mind over and over, as if in slow motion. After meditating for a great time, Zilis senses movement. A figure was coming up behind her slowly, she could tell from the noise that it was hooved and that it was attempting poorly to move with silence.

"Ya trying ta sneak up on meh, mon?" Zilis spoke to the creature behind her, without moving.

"Er...no, not at all..I'm looking for someone...maybe you've seen them?" The druid Telina inquired of the troll.

"'Ou yah be lookin' Fer?" Zilis asked in return.

"A Troll about your skin tone, red hair, done up rather nice, like this...er...about this tall.." The Druid made several gestures.

Zilis blinked blankly at the Tauren, who blushed. "'Dis Troll be 'Avin' ah name, moness?"

Telina looked off to the side for a moment, considering her options, and then looked back to Zilis. "Xainia."

Zilis looked the Druid over. "Xainia, eh?" The Rogue stood up, turning around to face the Tauren. "She gone 'dis way... 'Ou you know 'er?"

The zeppelin started to come in fnally as Telina explained some of her involvement with the priest. Zilis in turn told what she had known from the last night and where Xainia had gone. Sensing the wolf spirit within the rogue, Telina knew she would be moving quickly.

"I'll say more later. We must get on this zeppelin." Telina said as she strode past the Rogue quickly.

Hearthglen was the town which the good paladin, Prince Arthas, had protected before his fall. After the betrayal of the prince and the war, the town had risen as a bastion of the Scarlet Crusade, one of the only places purified of the plague in upper Lordaeron. This town was truly a contradiction to its plagued surroundings. Any living humans had flocked to it for protection from the undead, but unwittingly they were made to bolster the numbers of the crusade. Today, the shadows would visit the town as many others had been visited without Xainia's knowledge.

"Shamus, you look to have had a hard day, come sit by the fire. Dinner is almost ready." A townswoman greeted her troubled looking husband as he came into the house.

The man hung up his scarlet crusade tabard and sat. "Yes, some orcs tried to steal books from Mardenholde today. I don't know why we must stop them; they aren't dead. I even saw some of them ravaging Andorhal only last week." Shamus sighed.

"Shamus, don't speak like that. I know you never wanted to be here, but if an officer were to hear you, it would be the death of us." His wife was concerned.

"I know, I know. Hopefully we can get moved to the monastery and then find a way out of this cursed land, before our son is taken by the crusade."

A toddler turned over in a makeshift crib, having a late afternoon nap by the warm embers of the fire.

"Some of my comrades are so zealous, but I only wish we could have found other safe refuge. I just can't agree with some of the ideals they hold." Shamus rubbed his temples, having a slight headache for some reason.

"Yet you profess to be among our ranks for protection." An officer who had been outside the door barged in with his sword drawn. "If you are not one of us, you are our enemy."

"Mercy m'lord" The wife cried out.

"Dere be nah mercy fa yah. Tha shadah consumes all." Xainia entered the room in a whirlwind of shadow.

The officer turned. "Alive? One… Two… Three…"

Xainia watched the officer count in the procedure that many crusaders used as the prepared several terrors for him.

"Six.. It hasn't proclaimed life! It must be undead! Die!" The officer charged the troll.

Catching his arm in mid swing of the sword, she whispered pain and weakness into his head. The officer hit her about the sides a few time, but she drained such energy from his rage that it kept her unharmed. Taking his throat in one hand, she began to flay his mind. Slowly, his face turned to a fleshy liquid and ran over her hand then vaporized in a cloud of shadow energy which she quickly absorbed.

"Thank you, good priest, if you could only help us escape this curs…" The man spoke but then began to choke as Xainia grabbed him too. "Ple… No!..."

Sapping his energy into the shadows, Xainia grinned at the helpless man. His wife ran over and grabbed her arm, trying to wrestle her loved one from the shadowy grip. This only resulted in the woman being drained directly through her face by Xainia's other hand while the man continued to shrivel up helplessly. As soon as they were both drained and dead, Xainia walked slowly towards the crib, making a grim cooing noise at the young one. Reaching down at the slowly waking toddler, she picked him up by placing one hand under each side of his chin and lifting him into the air, watching his lower body kick and squirm as he came to.

"Now yah dun hafta worry about bein in tha crusade, ah taken care ah everahting." Xainia laughed evilly.

The child started to cry as the slowly drain his still young and potent spirit. As she performed his act, suddenly the door slammed wide open with familiar figures rather than more crusaders.

"Xainia!" Zilis and Telina broke into the house and shouted.

Looking up suddenly, the shadows faded from her for a second and she caught sight of what she was holding. The pupils in her eyes shrunk to miniscule sizes as she screamed horribly and droped the withered form.

"Wha... wha..." Xainia gasped, starting to breathe very quickly. The shadows quickly engulfed her again, being strong with energy from the acts committed only moments before. The shadowy Xainia turned to them. "Ya not supposed ta be here!" it focused on Zilis "Ah told yah not ta harm me, now look what yah make me see."

"Neither be yah!" Barked Zilis, bearing her teeth "Be gone from 'er bodah, yah filthah Parasite!"

Xainia laughed. "Ya speak like dat be possible."

"She wouldin' be doin' dis if yah hadin' ah come!" Zilis yelled again.

"Ah am 'er. An you be dead fa what ya do dere." Xainia began to channel shadow energy between her hands.

Zilis let loose a Feral Growl, drawing her weapons almost thoughtlessly. All that crossed her mind was 'Would this harm Xainia?' She would have to be careful. To keep everything safe, she flipped her wapons to the blunt side.

"Telina, yah stay bak...yah be 'er Bodahguard, but 'dis naht Xainia..."

"Hah. Ah know dat one. She call me masta. Be ah good servant an kill dis one wit me." The shadowy figure ordered.

Telina shot the troll a terrorfying glare then walked out of the Hut.

"Den let dah shadah fall on yah both" Xainia let loose a terrifying scream

Telina slammed the door shut as the scream emitted, leaving the two Trolls to duel it out.

After the fearful effect of the scream faded, Xainia tried to latch shadow onto Zilis as she did with her other targets and was surprised to find that the other troll was more resillient than her other victims. Images of Childhood fears and her worst nightmares flared through Zilis' mind, but she resisted the fear, immobilized temporarily

Xainia laughed evilly "Yes yah fear feeds me."

Redoubling her efforts, Zilis broke free of the nightmares. "'Dat Ain' gunna work so easah on meh!" Zilis yelled as she ran forward and swung sideways, striking the Shadow squarely in the chest.

Stunned, Xainia tumbled back with the blow. Zilis quickly followed up with a swift kick to the side. "Ah'll purge Xainia ah yah mahself if ah mus..."

Unable to even call fourth her discipline n the depths of this shadow, Xainia tried once again to latch on to Zilis vamprirically.

Pointing her sword directly at the Shadow's face again, the Wolf Helm covering her entire face, Zilis remarked once more. "Ah told ya befer, 'dat dun work on meh!"

At this comment, Xainia threw herself at Zilis, tackling her down and trying to grab at her weapons. The very shadow of her body tried to harm Zilis at the same time. Zilis gasped deeply, holding her breath as the Shadow attacked her. Placing one foot firmly on the ground, she kicked up, flipping the two over.

Xainia reached up from her now flipped position and fixed her hands on Zilis' neck. "Fall inta shadah. Fall inta shadah!"

Feeling the Shadow double Xainia's grip and start to sap her energy, Zilis gasped, it was very hard to breathe. "Kkssk.." she choked as the fought on.

"Yes.. yes give mah yah energy" Xainia said greedily.

"Ah… Wun... FAIL!" Zilis yelled. As she said this, she grabbed the shadow's wrists, kicking her in the stomach, twisting her arms back towards her body, and jumping backwards. Clutching her neck and gasping, Zilis reclaimed her breath.

Letting out a guttural and almost demonic growl, Xainia fought against the other troll.

Having forsaken her spells in the heat of battle, Xainia tried to claw at her opponent to cause harm. Zilis grabbed her Xainia by the shoulders and pushed down, forcing the shadowy troll to run past her. As soon as this happened, she caught her by the waist and ran her backwards with her into the wall, smashing into it. Letting go, Zilis stumbled backwards. The Shadow had drained her of a tremendous amount of energy. Smashing into the bricks, Xainia fell too, she got up to one knee and started coughing. Panting, Zilis glared at her.

"Mah enahgy... yah pay fa dat. Ya pay... someday." The shadow faded from her. Xainia looked around for a moment, seeing her self and Zilis injured, and remembering her surroundings. As soon as the realization fully hit, she burst out crying and ran from the cottage, calling her raptor as she ran.

"Xainia...thank 'da Spirits..." Zilis fell to one knee and coughed up blood then fell to the ground. "damnit.."

Outside, Telina was leaning against the building with a callious look on her face as crash and bang came from inside the building. Xainia's raptor knew to take her back to the guild hall, the closest safe place for her. Seeing Xainia rush by on her raptor in tears, devoid of shadows, Telina stood up with a start, calling her own mount. Xainia continued crying on the long ride, hunkered down on top of her raptor holding tightly. The image of what she held and her new friend's suffering stuck in her head. Following from a raised area, Telina tracked her back silently.

After some time riding through upper Lordaeron, nearly the rest of the day and into some of the night, Xainia entered the town of Brill. Her raptor was fairly exhausted, but it still knew where to take her. Xainia had fallen asleep for some of the ride but when she awoke the tears only returned; they stained her face and made it look puffy. The raptor stopped at the guild hall and jumped, waking her up.

"Ah no.. ah still be alive." Xainia muttered.

Xainia tried to wipe the tears off her face, but more came. She ran into the guild hall and up into one of the room on the top floor. As she entered the Hall, Telina walked up to the doors.

She patted the raptor on the side and whispered to it. "You have done well, rest now."

Many of the guild members looked up at the unknown tauren waltzing into the hall just as they had done a double take when they saw Xainia running through.

An undead paige approached Telina. "You can't just walk in here unannounced."

Telina looked down at the Undead. "And who would be announcing me? I have important bussiness to attend."

"Well, I don't know. That's why people can't normally come in." The paige answered.

Telina sighed and smirked. "I won't make any trouble, I just need to watch someone." She said as she walked up to the stairwell leading to Xainia's quarters, and sat down, leaning against the wall.

"She's fine. She accompanied us in killing Hakkar once." Marylyn spoke up and then looked at Telina "And a very important time it was."

"'Fine' is an overstatement." Telina said back to the mage.

"You can let her pass." Noktwar looked up from the large table in the hall.

Meanwhile in the upper room, the unrest continued. Xainia knelt on the bed and looked at her hands, the image still so fresh in her mind she remembered the weight of the body and the feeling of it sriveling to her touch.

"Nah.. nah.. How could ah..." Xainia said to herself.

_"You should forget about this."_ the shadowy voice spoke in her head.

"Nah, how could ah do dat, how could ah do sometin dat horrible."

Telina could feel the Shadow creeping back into Xainia's mind from outside the room.

_"You needn't be concerned. I've taken care of it."_

"Yah did dis. What else yah been doin when ah not know it." Xainia questioned the voice that had replaced her master's.

"Don't let the Shadow fool you, Xainia..." Telina whispered to herself in the hall.

_"It's none of your business. I am taking care of us." _The shadow asserted again.

"But yah can't jus do dat!"

_"Yes, I can. You even wanted me to._ _You made me, You can't change that."_

"Nah, ah nevah wanted dis. It be worse dan what been done tah me… much worse."

The voice became Irate sounding in her head_. "I said it is taken care of! Now you will sleep! You are not prepared nor equipped to deal with living, I am. Just live your few hours while I sleep and let me take care of us. It is your only option._ _Yah self pity is not wanted. It will not survive. You will forget today... just like every day."_

Overpowered, Xainia fell asleep. The voice faded. Several days passed while Xainia slept in the upper room. Word of her announcement made it out and the day quickly approached. Xainia did not wake or hunger, the sleep she was forced into was far too deep.

Finally after some time, someone entered the room. "Xainia, wake up. Are you going to attend your own battle?" Noktwar questioned her. He was standing in the doorway with his armor on.

Marylyn also entered the room "I'll get her up." Marylyn placed a hand on the side of Xainia's face and lit it up with ice, sickering slightly.

Xainia shot awake and sat up. "Ahhh! Dat be cold! Dat be COLD!" Her eyes focused on them. "Why yah do dat?"

"You're about to sleep through the battle you've plannned." Noktwar reminded her. "The Undercity awaits you."

Xainia looked around. "Dat.. Jintha'alor... Dat be now?"

"Yes, you've been asleep for some time." The guild leader informed her.

"Oh... Den ah must go." Xainia's face was no longer reddened from crying, but her eyes were so full of dried grit that she had trouble opening them fully. Grabbing her possesions, Xainia ran out of the front of the guild hall wordlessly and grabbed her raptor.

Telina stood in front of the raptor, waiting for Xainia. She walked forward, stopping the smaller Troll as she advanced. "Wait, Xainia...here..." The Tauren licked her thumb and rubbed some of the grit out of Xainia's eyes. Telina then ruffled Xainia's hair gently, and gave her a faint smile.

Xainia paused. "Telina? What yah be doing here?" her memories of the bad day were suppressed.

"Waiting for you. Come, we're needed at the Undercity." The Druid turned away and called for her mount.

Xainia got on her raptor and rode the few miles into the ruined capital. Riding into the grand scale courtyard, Xainia was surprised to see how crowded it was. Many members of the guards and other groups as well as some mercenaries were all waiting in the courtyard. Xainia rode up onto one of the side sets of steps and looked down at the crowd. Recognizing that she was a priest, many of them figured her to be the leader. Xainia dismounted and turned to them, surprised that thier numbers nearly came to four hundred. Telina stood quietly behind her master, her eyes shining as she looked over the crowd, her arms crossed.

Calling out over the crowd, Xainia tried to wing a speech. "Ah.. Ah'd like ta thank yah all fa comin here tah help me. We Gonna be goin ta visit Jintha'alor. It be ah long journey, be dere anabodah who want ta step up ta assist."

Several people came forwards to volunteer to take control of smaller groups within the mob that had gathered. After they divided into two major groups with four smaller groups each and two groups below each of those, they were prepared to move out.

"Den Let's begin dah march." Xainia yelled out. The crowd cheered and turned to leave the courtyard under the command of the 'Lieutenants' of sorts that had been named. Xainia looked much more confident from the realization that she was making things like this happen. Silently, the shadow waited and built its energy back, Xainia had no idea of the rest of the mission that it had planned while she slept.

Even as a totally mounted army, the trip took days. The army moved its way through the plaguelands, carefully protecting camps from the wandering undead as each small group kept to its self. At the advice of her assistants, the army moved through Plaguemist Ravine as a shorter path into the Hinterlands. Leaving the rotten and plagued lands, the army pushed into the hinterlands. Wisely, they avoided the dwarf kingdom of Aerie Peak.

Xainia, you are certian you are ready for this?" Telina inquired while riding beside her, already knowing the answer.

".. ah guess. It not seem like too big of ah ting." Xainia answered in a somewhat bewildered fashion. "Ah.. ah even forget wah ah do it... Ah just know ah planned ta do dis."

Heading past the path to the city, the army camped the last night to the northeast of the troll metropolis to avoid sentries. A few more had joined the group as it traveled, but overall the army had made the nearly week long journey unscathed.

Xainia sat in her tent the last night after setting a start time for her Lieutennants on the next day. Speaking to Telina, Xainia revealed much. "Ah remembah looking out ova dis plain from da city."

Tauren nodded at Xainia. "What else?"

"When ah do it bring back dah most terrible memories.. but dey burn away... ah can't tink. Ah feel like ah dun know what be going on wit me anahmore. Ah hardly remembahd ya till ya showed up again." Xainia frowned.

"Oh? Then what -do- you remember?"

"Nothin now, mah mind be blank. It feel like ah be swimming."

The Druid sighed and gave Xainia a look of deep concern. "That's not good.."

"Ah dun know what ah can do about it. Ah know ah should know... but ah just dun."

"Ah nevah thought about it before, how ah should know, but ah do now… and it feel like it be too late. Ah should sleep. We have... whatevah we had… tomarrow."

"Jintha'alor, Master. I'll keep a close watch over you while you sleep, rest well." The Druid turned and stepped outside the tent, shooing those near-by away.

Xainia slept soundly for the night, not able to consider the next day or her past days. When the morning came, everyone began to prepare for the last bit of the march south to the city. Morning mist still covered the ground when they came to a halt fire hundred yards infront of the city's massive main gates, which stood open like a leering maw. The army lined up in thier smaller groups and Xainia walked to the front of them. She looked over the crowd, then to the city for a moment, and then grabbed her head in a bit of pain.

"_You can't handle this, I'll take it from here."_ The shadows slowly poured from her, making the magenta and teal cloud that they usually formed. Her hair also changed again as it did some of the time. Looking back up with different eyes, she spoke loudly in a commanding voice.

"Form dah lines fah battle!" The shadowy figure yelled. "Ten deep, Fortah across."

"...Xainia...?" Telina muttered in disbelief to herself.

Obeying this strong commanding presence, the members of this attack fell into the rectangular formation with extreme precision. Xainia paced across the front of the lines speaking. "Taday, we come ta scour dese cannibal forest trolls from dis city. We come ta pay dem back fah helpin Hakkar. Nae ah single one leave 'ere alive! Da mission not be complete until everah inch, everah corner be empty. We leave dese ruins as ah symbol dat some alliances have too high ah price!"

Behind her, Telina stared in slight disbelief. "She wasn't even this violent when she fought Hakkar" she thought "She can recall why she's here now, too...and that Shadow...I wonder."

Xainia turned to the city, catching sight of Telina behind her. She cracked and evil grin and made a mocking kissy face. Xainia spoke quietly to herself. "Ah bet yah dam cannibals nevah expected tah see me again. Now ah be back."

In the city, a guard sleepily awoke from his past breakfast nap and looked out of his post towards the front of the city. His eyes became wide very quickly.

"A vessel of hate and destruction..." Telina whispered.

Turning and running to the nearby guardhouse, the troll guard exlaimed. "Boss, dere be an army outside!"

"Yah be pullin mah leg mon, what dis be ya whelp?" an older and higher ranking guard replied. He walked out to the wall to look out of the post. "See dere ain be no... ARMY... ARMY!" The boss ran back to the post yelling. "ATTACK! SOUND DA ALARM!"

Xainia yelled out at exactly the same time. "Charge!"

Obeying with a massive series of shouts, the army took arms and charged at the still open city gates. Xainia ran in at about the middle of the pack and began to rip through the unarmed and unaware trolls inside with them. Members of the army looted and snatched anything valuable looking from the houses as they began to make progress through the tiers of the city.

Cries erupted from the crowd. "Break thier bones!" … "For the Horde!" … "Power to the Forsaken!" … "Slay the cannibals" … "Let none survive!"

Rushing to keep up with the Shadowy Xainia, Telina kicked down enemies in front of her, not stopping to finish them off. Her priority was to keep an eye on Xainia. The city truly resembled a scene from hell, blood scattered everywhere with remains strewn in the streets behind the moving army. The smell of burning lumber began to fill the air as the buildings were set aflame in the army's wake. The city was neither prepared nor equipped to face such an unstoppable force. Only the numbers of the Vilebranch and the higher ground they held gave them any advantage. Catching up to Xainia finally, Telina caught her breath quickly. The shadowy troll surveyed the wreckage, looking for the next set of stairs.

"Xainia!" A familiar voice yelled out, and a tall troll covered in ripped and burned black leather dropped down from the next rise. She looked tattered and had old dry blood caked on parts of her clothing.

Xainia turned, shadowform dissappearing at the familiar voice. "Zilis? What yah be doing here?" Xainia caught sight of the slaughter around her. "Huh..." The shadows quickly re-engulfed her. "I'll deal with yah latah. Ah be too busy now." The shadow priestess ran up the next set of stairs to push the blockade that the Vilebranch had constructed at the top.

Zilis looked at Telina, and they both sighed. "Can't take my eyes off her..."

This time in the shadowy troll's head, Xainia's voice spoke. "Ah dinnah want dis. What yah be doing?"

_"Quiet you, I am taking care of it. Sleep!" _The shadowy voice answered her in this half sleeping state she was stuck in.

Running up the stairs to catch Xainia, Zilis continueed to yell "Xainia! Wake ap!"

Xainia was unable to sleep seeing this now, and the shadow was too concerned with battle to make her sleep. She watched quietly, feigning sleep within her own mind. Breaking the blockade on that level, the army charged through triumphantly, throwing carcasses aside as the trolls fell.

Marylyn approached Xainia. "Xainia, they're slaughtering everything, even the children. We can't pray on those weaker than us, it is against the guard's code."

"Well ah see everyone doin it gladly. Sah nevahmind it." The shadow answered and charged away from her.

"Ignore 'er, she's naht in 'er right mind" Zilis said as she ran past.

"But I can't this is inhuman, I can't believe we are calling this justice."

Telina gave Marylyn a curious glance. "We? We are not."

"But this crowd, this army… they kill indiscriminately." Marylyn protested again.

"You are free to help, you are also free to leave this chaos, but decide quick." Telina turned to give chase again.

"I will stay, but I will not kill these. I must see what has become of us that we allow this to happen." Marylyn ran with them.

They pushed on through the city, the yells continuing along with the looting and burning.

"Xainia always did wish revenge upon this place, but not like this, I know...this is not her heart... What the hell has taken her?" Telina said to her comrades.

"'Dat damned Shadah Paracite...'dis be its doin', ahm sure..." said to Telina as they moved on.

Soon it was midday, most of the city was burning below them in the statement of grim victory. Pockets were full of loot and streets full of blood.

"Xainia..." Telina had finally caught up with her Master.

Xainia was not paying attention. She was not even there when they burned the trolls out of where she had lived; she was much more concerned with the top tier. As the time neared evening and the city sat looted and in flames, the force finally approached the ampitheater, below the large waterfall at the city's peak. The final host of the trolls had closed themselves in the cave while the leader and his best warriors sat at the altar to meet the army. Clearing the final depths of the city outside of the ampitheater, the fighters, now weighed down with possessions, surrounded the area.

"At least there's no more Children..." Telina muttered. Zilis and Marylyn sighed in agreement beside her.

"That's still not good seeing as they've all been killed." Marylyn mentioned. "I even asked some others, it never crossed their minds until I mentioned it. Horrible."

"Well if it didn't cross their minds, they can't be considered too evil for it." Telina said quickly as the turned to watch the unfolding scene.

All three stood feet away from Xainia, watching now, knowing there was little they could do. She burned with a hateful malignancy as the stared at the last holdout.

The leader of the trolls called out. "Who be da leadah ah dis pack ah mongrels who seek ta wipe us from dis existence?"

Xainia stepped forward infront of the army. "Ah be. And yah be dying by mah hand. Ya can nevah make back fah what yah did tah mah parents on dis altah."

"Hm. You be ah darkspear." The Vilebranch paused to think for a while. "Den yah parents be dose who set back da rebirth ah Hakkar. Ya have damned dem as well now, we kill you, den summon deh spirits ta torture fahevah."

Xainia's words recalled the memory of the fateful night to Telina's mind...she shivered and rubbed her eye quietly.

"Gatha yah best warriors, dey face mine, an you face me." the Vilebranch leader called out.

The lieutennants, all good battlers, stepped forward eagerly while Xainia approached the Vilebranch leader. Each lieutennant was more than a match for two of what the Vilebranch could muster, nothing even near the city had challenged his warriors in such a long time that they had fallen into mediocrity.

"Yah have signed yah death warrant, Vilebranch" Xainia approached with a slow waltzing gait, almost floating, as the Vilebranch leader drew his axes and put on some scrappy armor.

"If ah die, Hakkar will bring me back ta life." He gloated.

"Hakkar is dead." Xainia held her arms down and opened her palms, turning them to face her enemy. Her aura burned with magnificenty horrible power. "An so are you."

The Vilebranch leader raised his axe as she neared while saying that, but as soon as she did, he simply stopped. Without so much as a word, he faded from existence completely. He had been utterly erased by the spell that the shadowy troll cast. Many in the army gasped at this attack as the other Vilebranch warriors fell without their leader. Pouring into the cave to flush the last of the Vilebranch from the city, the army cheered again. They had won, evidenced by the thick grey and black some flew into the sky from the tiers below them.

Xainia approached the altar and knelt down on it. "mah turn." Xainia's voice echoed in the shadowy figure's head as the shadows faded.

"Mama, Papa, ah've killed Hakkar, ah've come to see yah. Can yah forgive me?"

Silence followed. Even the armies seemd quiet.

"Can yah forgive me." Xainia repeated as the silence continued.

_"You should forget about them. The memory only causes you pain, and hinders us."_ The voice tried to not be as agressive, realizing that it was pushed out of its control place by her.

"Forget.. Nah!" Xainia thought back, somewhat mumbling it outside of her head too.

_"You should. You will. I know what's best for ya, for us."_

"No. Nevah. Ah neva forget. Yah stop talkin like dat!"

Telina could faintly hear Xainia's mind as she neared her... "Xainia..."

Xainia blocked Telina out, sending a message back. "Dis be fah me tah deal with."

Telina looked down at the ground a moment, breaking into a large smile. "There you are..."

The evil voice laughed. _"I don't have to stop anything. It's not like you can get rid of me. I am you! I am your hate, your revenge, your vanity, I am what you have made me. I am the power you wanted to wield and the power you used freely."_

"Ah seen what yah be doing. Yah been what make me black out." Xainia indicted the voice.

_"Oh, bravo, that took you long enough. I was doing what you wished, making people revere you, revile you, obey you. Ever since HE left... you've wanted me to."_

"Yah stealin mah life."

_"Our life I'm afraid, my dear self. Why don't yah see if yah can deal with dis? hrm?" _The voice was now acting normally, having forgotten what just happened in a fit of rage. The evil voice let loose all the grim memories it had been holding back. Xainia's mind image of herself began to cry as tears came forth in the physical world too.

Sniffing the tears up, Xainia spoke. "But it was nevah me… it was yah. Yah killed dem, yah attacked mah friends."

_"No, you did, your hate and want for power." _The voice poked at her

Seeming to realize something, Xainia looked up in her mind and up at the sky with her body. The shadowy image of her suddenly gained a new expression, one of slight fear. "So if ya be dat... yah be no trouble."

_"What do you mean? I certainly am trouble, I am the power... I am your completion."_

"Yah be somethin ah made yah say. An now yah gone an showed me mah memories, yah shown me behind da blackness ah couldn't see through. Ah nevah forget dah past, but ah not gonna dwell on it. Ah not gonna let dis feeling take me ova." Xainia's mind image of herself began to shine.

_"What are you thinking? I cannot see it... What! Your thoughts should be an open book to me, we are one! You cannot beat me!"_

"Yah be mine. Yah be somethin ah made and ah control. Ah control mah hate, mah vanity, mah need tah use dah shadow. Impuden dream! Know yah place!" Beams of light shot from Xainia's hands in her mind, flaying the shadowy image of herself to the ground.

"_Don't do this! You need me! You don't know how to live!"_

Xainia began to draw all that the shadow had taken from her back. "No, yah need me. Without me, yah don't exist. Ah be in charge now... and forevah."

Manacles of light appeared around the shadowy figure's arms as her broken form stood up and looked at Xainia.

The figure replied in almost a monotone, lacking consciousness and higher thinking. "Yes, my mistress."

Xainia stood up on the altar, the shadows gone from her. Zilis felt the shadows disperse inside Xainia, and smiled, at the same time, the shadows faded from Telina's mind, and she smiled widly at Xainia.

"You've done it, Master..." The tauren said proudly.

"Ah... Ah should ah had it long ago. But thank yah. Ah dun feel it ah triumph, just takin out dah trash."

The Druid smirked. "You've still over-come it, it was not an easy task... and you over-came it alone." She stood up, still shorter than the Troll. "You've come a long way, Xainia, you truely can take care of yourself now. You have redeemed yourself completely."

The candles on the altar lit up at the same time that a beam of light shone down from above.

"She's right. Yah've done a great ting taday, Xainia" Xenus' spirit said from above her.

"Papa?" Xainia looked up and saw the spirits of both of her parents standing above the altar. Telina looked up at them both, and saluted quietly.

"Yes, mah child. We knew ya had killed Hakkar, an now yah have freed us from dis place. But dat not be da greatest ting."

"It not?" Xainia questioned.

"Yah. All priests decide how ta handle da balance ah light an shadah. Some ignore it, some be consumed by it, an othas conquer it. Yah done ah great ting bah not lettin dah shadah mastah yah" Dalnuya's spirit spoke.

"Fa dat, we be thankful. More dan fah all dis revenge an Hakkar's destruction."

"But… dey all be dead, dis be ah slaughta..." Xainia protested.

"It be somethin fa yah ta learn from an nothing more. Ya can wish all yah want dat ya hadn't done dis, but now it only be ah lesson from befah yah beat dat shadah." Xenus' spirit spoke then flew down and scrabbled around in the bones by the altar. From them he produced two daggers, still glowing with enchantments and still maintaining thier edge.

"Take dese, dey wa mine. Dah Vilebranch leave em 'ere. Dey be dah daggahs ah ah tribe, ah symbol ah Darkspear." Xenus handed her the daggers.

"Now we 'ave ah whole aftalife ta catch up on. Live happily, Xainia. We hope it be ah long time before yah be joinin us." Dalnuya spoke softly but encouragingly.

Allowed to hold them through her connection to them, Xainia reached up and hugged her parents. She waved goodbye as they rose into the air and drifted away. Taking her staff, Xainia stepped off the altar and brought it down upon the cursed surface. Even though it was not much force, the altar shattered in half and its bad magic was dispersed. The army, which has since returned and watched in stunned silence, suddenly began to clap for her.

Xainia turned to them. "Ah thank yah fah helpin me taday. Let us leave dis burned city now. Da battle be ova. Ah hope tah meet ya all on da journey again."

With that the army broke up and began to slowly head out smouldering ruin; each saying goodbye to the grim scene in his or her own way. Some of the fires billowed grey as the more sane fighters snuffed them out. Many of the druid dropped seeds in the ruins as they left.

Telina sighed while Zilis stopped and rubbed the blood off her mouth on her arm. Xainia turned to Zilis and Telina. "Ah guess it be ova now." she walked over to Zilis, who still showed her wounds. "Ah be so sorrah." Xainia hugged Zilis.

Zilis blinked at Xaina as she hugged her, then hugged her back. "Dun worrah about it, ah needed 'dah sleep." She smiled to Xainia. "An ya, it be ova."

Telina coughed. "We should get out of here, reinforcements may have been called...these walls could give way..." The Druid whistled for her mount while the others called theirs.

Xainia climbed onto her "Ah dun think there be anah left. But lets go."

Zilis nodded, calling for her own mount before leaping down off the wall and vanishing from sight. "To Orgrimmar!"

"Yah, ah wherevah. Away from dis place." Xainia followed alongside Telina.

The three rode off from the city of Jintha'alor and into the west. Xainia carried the two daggers of her tribe stashed in her pack; she had proven to herself and her comrades that though some forces may seem indominable and chaotic, nothing in the end can overcome a determined will.


	10. Chapter 10: Encore

**Chapter 10: Encore**

The shadow in Xainia's life had been bound and defeated. The story of her training and triumph had come to an end just as a curtain falls on a play. Yet, some questions remain unanswered. Inquries so pronounced that they could plague many. And now, an encore.

"Help me." A voice echoed in Xainia's head as she slept in a makeshift bunk.

"Wha? Dat not be ah shadah, it not be somebodah here. Who be talkin in dis way?" she thought.

"You will know when the time comes. Help me." The voice faded.

Somewhat confounded by this, Xainia got up from the cot she was having an evening nap on and walked over to the chapel. She had been in the Eastern Plaguelands, tending to the sick. After completing the tasks given to her by Eris Havenfire, and the call to battle from the horde, working with the Argent Dawn had become her calling. The young troll wore their tabard proudly as she approached the chapel and continued to think.

"Dat sounded familiah, like ah dream." Xainia muttered as she stopped and tended some of the wounded.

A familiar voice came from inside the chapel. "...Na', nah...yah, ah'll be back..dun worrah mon, ah'll be back in time fer...wha? Yah, ah kin do 'dat, ahkay, ahkay...yah...Latah..."

Xainia looked up, smiling; she ran over to behind the mailbox at the chapel. The owner of the voice, a troll wearing a wolf mask, stepped out of the chapel. She looked towards the sick beds trying to find Xainia. ".. 'Xai..? Ya 'ere?"

Reaching out quickly from behind the mailbox, Xainia jerked the wolf mask down so it blocked Zilis' vision. Wisely, she jumped away at the same time and avoided a swift roundhouse kick that Zilis responded with by instinct.

Zilis pulled off the mask, hitting nothing, and looked for who did it. "Ah! Xai!' She laughed and stood up again, smirking.

"Nice reflexes, Zilis." Xainia was practically plastered against the wall to avoid the blow.

Zilis giggled. "'Dat's what'cha git fer messin' wid 'da Wolf." She winked and smiled again. "'Ou ya bin?"

"Ah been so so. Dere be so manah tah heal wit dat dam big buildin up dere in dah sky. An not ta mention dese scarlets runnin around actin like dey know wha ta do. " One of the various Scarlet Crusaders shot Xainia a dirty look at that comment. "Sah what bring yah all dis way?" Xainia continued.

"Ah gaht ah job...ahn was wonderin' if ya wanted tah come along...be ah nice change ah pace." Zilis suggested.

"Ah job?" Xainia got close and whispered. "Yah mean killin?"

Zilis nodded and turned towards the windriders then began to search in her bags.

"Yah, ah dun like bein like dat too much, but ah come with yah. Dis must be important fah yah ta need me" Xainia acted like the change of pace was a ploy, but was only guessing at it. "Lez get goin. We can talk bout it latah."

They walked a distance from the chapel, but Zilis led them away from the windriders. "Som'un be wantin' meh tah take out 'dis Creepah guy, 'dey said 'ey was a Demon Talkah ah sometin'...'ey's up in Wintahspring."

Xainia looked incredulous. "Dat be kinda far. But ah will go. We not goin on dah windriders?"

Zilis pulled out a medium sized white stone laced with blue runs that looked like running water from her back pack. Holding it up to Xainia's eye level, she grinned.

"Ooh.. but... ah thought onla one could use dat ting."

"Well yah be right, but ah watch dah innkeepers." Zilis grabbed Xainia's stone like the ninja she was and moved around the blue runes on the surface.

"Dat be amazin. Ya kin set hearthstones?"

Zilis held the stone out in front of her, waiting for Xainia to prepare also.

"Where dis be takin us? Alla da way dere?" Xainia activated it.

"Yah, tah Wintahspring" Zilis said before a flash of light engulfed them both.

The air flashed around them as the two were ripped across the known world. After a slight pause in the hearthstone's traveling spell, they noticed snow falling outside. The surroundings had changed from the bleak plaguelands to a warm inn in Everlook.

Xainia staggered for a moment, getting her bearings. "Where we be goin nah?"

"Nawhere tahnight." Zilis saw that there was a horrible storm outside and walked over to the innkeeper. "Ah need ah room."

"Okay, Do you need a single…" The innkeeper looked over towards Xainia. "Double separate, or double joined."

"Ah take dah joined." Zilis took out some money as the goblin innkeeper went to get a set of keys.

Giving them a strange look, he made the exchange. "Hehe, glad I could help."

The inn in Everlook was very spacious and had many rooms for rent. With Everlook being the only real city in the cold mountains of Winterspring, it had to be. Zilis went over to the bar next and bought some food.

"Ya 'ungry ah thirstah?" Zilis turned to Xainia.

"Yah, blessah sunfruit be all ah had in weeks. It get boring." Xainia sat down on the stool beside Zilis and ordered food.

The two had lived like this before Xainia had retired to the plaguelands. They had been floating between inns and living off of what they had, for a time after the battle of Jintha'Alor. It had all ended, however, when Xainia was called by the horde to serve in battle. Zilis didn't hear the same calling; she had gone and become well known, exhalted, among the Argent Dawn. After that, they had only run into eachother on occasion. This day was the most time they had spent together since the horde had come calling. After having dinner, they retired to the room that they had rented.

"It not be good tah eat right befa sleepin." Xainia commented as she lay on the bed.

"Who say we be sleepin?" Zilis sat on the bed in the small room after securing the door and removed her wolf mask. She smiled at Xainia.

"What if ah do?" Xainia leaned over and prodded Zilis' forehead with her finger.

Zilis pretended to bite at the finger. "Ah dun think yah would. We haven seen eachotha in months."

"Well ah guess yah got me." Xainia grabbed the collar on Zilis' armor and pulled her down somewhat forcefully to the bed.

The next morning, they both rose and ate at the inn again. After finishing, Zilis led the way by stepping out into the chilly embrace of the Winterspring air. While Zilis stretched for a moment, Xainia came out of the building and took an ornate whistle from her bag. She played a quick tune on it and a small shot of magical looking energy came down from the sky and landed. In a small burst of light, her raptor, Zahriel, appeared.

"Show ahf." Zilis muttered as she retrieved her raptor from the troughs just outside the city. "We be goin down south ah 'dis town...las place 'ey was seen."

As Xainia tended to her raptor and prepared to climb on, the voice suddenly echoed in her head again. "Help me." Xainia looked around to see where it had come from. Not finding anyone, she shrugged and climbed onto Zahriel; the dulled Lieutennant General insignia hung from his neck jingled as she did.

"Jus down dah road?" Xainia asked.

"Yah...it be quite 'dah ways, 'doh...ahn 'da cavern 'ey went in be dangerous..." Zilis replied.

"Well lez go den. We wanna make it back befa dark." Xainia led the way south, riding slightly off the path to keep a lookout.

After several hours of riding through the bleak snowy wastelands, it became hard to tell where the road was or even where the ground was in the snow; a storm had begun. Zilis stopped a moment and looked around, but Xainia foolishly kept riding and suddenly dissappeared, falling through a bank of snow. The snow quickly filled in around her.

"Xainia! Xainia!" Zilis jumped off her Raptor with a start "Ah ya alright!"

Over the bank of snow just to the south, Zilis met a surprising sight. There was a scourge camp just off the road, hidden in a lower part of the ground. Some skeletons looked towards the voice. Zilis' eyes widened as the unnatural gaze fell upon her. She quickly fell to the ground, hoping they hadn't spotted her, letting lose a low whisper telling her raptor to hide.

A voice entered' Zilis head now. "This quest will bring you only pain. Turn back."

The skeletons turned back towards the fire in thier camp, which glowed an eerie shade of blue and green. Zilis sighed with relief, choosing to ignore the voice in her head for now... Xainia was still in danger. Nothing moved for quite some time in the camp. Trying not wasting a moment, Zilis crawled slowly towards the place Xainia dissapeared, calling out to her in a low voice, careful not to fall into the same trap. The undead were moving around to the side of the camp that was away from the road, looking for something to kill and eat.

In the snow bank, Xainia had tried to make a place for her self to see she was getting frozen very quickly. She could almost see something to hit and so she took a chance, holding onto one of Zahriel's reins while she did. Through the oppressing clouds in the sky, a bolt of holy flame came down and struck a skeleton on the far side of the camp. All of the others looked around for where it had come from and finding nothing, walked towards where it had hit. Zilis heard a raptor growling slightly a small distance away. Another bolt hit a skeleton on the opposite side of the camp and as the main population of the camp ran for that it, Zahriel charged out of the snowbank heading to the south, with Xainia clinging to his side and trying to get onto the saddle. The undead were all alerted and tried to take off after her.

Xainia made it into the saddle and grabbed the reins. "Nah. We hafta make dis fast!" Zahriel growled and began to sprint.

Slowly getting to her feet, Zilis watched, slightly taken aback. The undead were still on Xainia's tail, not even noticing Zilis. The undead were losing ground on the sprinting black raptor. Concentrating as best as she could, Xainia smited the skeletons while riding towards the south.

Zilis sighed, "Yer crazy" then grabbed her own raptor and started to sprint towards the Undead, her hands on her weapons.

Despite the damage they were taking, as Xainia began to cross a gigantic ice bridge, even the undead came to a halt. They stood, watching for a moment, as Xainia made it halfway across before coming to a halt. Zahriel breathed in the cold air with visible effort as the undead continued to watch at the bridge.

Finally comming up behind the Undead, Zilis did a flip off of her raptor's back and landed on the back of one of the undead, bringing her sword down through the top of its skull. Next, she jumped off and attacked another one in the same way, moving with great agility until one of the undead dodged and she landed on the bridge. Despite being just out of melee range, the undead did not step on the bridge. Zilis' raptor rode through and knocked down another, clawing it to pieces as it ran across. The undead still would not set foot on the bridge. They stared for a moment, realizing the two would not come back, then lost interest and returned to their camp.

"Yah sure know how ta show me ah good time." Zilis turned to her friend.

"Wha took ya so long?" Xainia panted.

"Ah didn't know where ya was…" Zilis shrugged as her Raptor caught up to them, carrying a still wiggling leg bone in its mouth. "Put dat down… it still movin." Zilis motioned at the raptor and it threw the femur over the side of the bridge with a swing of its head. "Besides, ya kin take care ah yahself, it be seemin'.."

"So.. is dat it? " Xainia pointed at the darkened gorge to the south, across the bridge.

Zilis' expression changed, her Mask seemed to cover her entire face to hide it. "Yah...'dat's it.."

"Well den lets get dere. Dis place be dangerous even when we not in da canyon." Zahriel carried Xainia south again at a slower pace as she said that.

Patting her raptor on the nose, Zilis told her raptor to return to the city. Zilis continued on slightly ahead of Xainia, walking quietly. Dismounting from Zahriel, Xainia came to a stop as they finished crossing the bridge. She blew her whistle and Zahriel was whisked off by the arcane torrents to a safe place. Standing infront of them was a sight not normal to these parts. Infront of the hederine demons that guarded the gorge, a large infernal was standing. His firey eyes followed them as they moved around.

A deep demonic voice echoed towards them from the beast. "You shall not pass."

"He has chains... Dat belong tah someone." Xainia noticed and whispered to Zilis.

"'Dat Mastah runs scared, leavin' 'dere pets tah die...?" Zilis muttered.

"Or ta return when dey win." Xainia replied.

"Na gore, na glorah..."

Xainia lowered her head in prayer and a shield appeared around Zilis. Zilis looked the enormous creature over. It didn't appear to have any weak points, so most of her assassination skills would prove useless. The flaw of the infernal was that it looked slow... she'd have to outmanuver it. The infernal saw that they were not being frightened away and moved to engage first. Without a word, Zilis charged at the beast, lunging at it with her sword behind her, preparing a hard strike to the chest. While Xainia burned away at it with the powers of light, the infernal swung its arm powerfully to hit the approaching toll away. Just as the Infernal was about to strike her, Zilis vanished and left only smoke in her place. The infernal looked around, not charging for Xainia even though she was helping; it searched for Zilis. Without warning, Zilis appeared from behind the Infernal. She had jumped upwards and behind it to get a good shot. She stabbed into the rocky back of its head before landing and holding on. As the infernal's aura burned her and he tried to shake her off, she continuously slashed at its head. Xainia looked at Zilis swinging; she had not done combat in so long as she had been at Lights Hope healing. Xainia's shield helped to lighten the burn on Zilis, and her armor absorbed some of it, but she started to sweat from the fire on the infernals' head as she ran around on the beast's shoulders. The infernal was weakening. Xainia looked at her hands then back at the infernal after renewing the shield on Zilis. She thought very hard for a moment and then the infernal suddenly shook and collapsed to the ground; its mind punished severely. As the infernal fell to peices, Zilis quickly backflipped off of it and landed in the snow. Xainia ran over and made sure the rogue was ok.

"D-d-dat wasin' s-s-sah bad...is jis a little coldah down here is all..." Zilis took off her mask and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Xainia held the mask while Zilis composed herself.

"Ah only wonda what be comin next. Do we hafta kill dese? Ah tink we can get around dem." Xainia looked at the hederine demons.

Zilis looked around for a moment before moving. "Follah me, ah see a way around."

Xainia followed her closely. The hederines were obedient to their posts, they did not notice the two. They made it through one of the caves before Xainia spoke next. "So how dah we find 'im in all dis. Dere's tons ah caves."

"Dey say Mt. Hyjal be through 'ere...mebbe he be lookin' tah hide 'dere?"

"Dere? but dah elves locked dat place up. Ah been dere befa. Back when dis canyon was full ah snow." Xainia strained to remember.

"'Den if he be gettin' in, 'ou knows what he be unlockin'..." Zilis looked worried. "We bes be checkin." As Zilis said that, suddenly something wrapped around her leg and tripped her. A bright light flashed at the same time; Xainia was blinded by it too.

As the flash faded, it appeared like two Xainias were standing behind Zilis. One of them stepped back and gasped. "Wha?"

Getting to her feet quickly, Zilis turned around and shot a glance behind her to make certian this wasn't a sneak attack. Nothing else was nearby. Even a succubus that had been walking the path was gone. Only her and two copies of Xainia stood on the path.

"Wha dis be? Yah look like me!" the one that hadn't gasped said.

"Wha yah be talking about. Yah be lookin like me." The other said.

Zilis turned her gaze on the one that spoke last, giving it a glare through the eyes of her mask, her mask seemed to come alive and reinforce the glare.

The one that had gasped turned to Zilis. "Ya gonna hafta figure out which one. Ah can't have some demon ah otha thing lookin like me."

"Can yah tell? It be her!" The other one said. "Ah know yah. We been friends fah so long."

The Mask continued to stare down the Xainia that Zilis was looking at, however, under the mask, Zilis' expression was quite different, many different thoughts ran through her mind. If she hit the wrong one, she would hurt her friend.

"Enough ah dis. get out ah mah form." The two Xainias said almost in unison and began to lock arms with eachother.

Zilis growled deeply and poked her finger with her blade. "Ah, ah got a cut, which one of yah can heal me?"

They looked at her and then at eachother. One of them quickly cast a healing spell while the other looked around with helplessness. "Ah… ah din have mana. Wha ya goin ta do?"

Still staring at the same Xainia, the one who could not heal, Zilis raised her blade and pointed it directly at her.

"Dun do it. It be her" The non-healer pleaded.

Wordlessly, she charged forward as the threatened Xainia dived away. Bringing her blade behind her, she prepared a great cleave down onto the Xainia. Zilis suddenly felt a whip wrap around her as the Xainia she fought dove back revealed itself to be a succubus.

Zilis stopped in pain, and proceeded to try and remove the whip.

"You are perceptive, but that won't save you." The succubus suddenly stood up and tried to charm Zilis.

Zilis staggered as the succubus taunted. "You'll never reach him." Now drawn to the succubus, Zilis walked forward to try and embrace it.

In the middle of this charm, Zilis closed her eyes and tried to ignore the words. Barely concentrating enough, she avoided embracing the demon. The eyes of her mask came alive and glowed slightly.

"You'll stay here with me. Always with me." The succubus echoed.

"Spirit ah 'da Wolf...lend meh true sight..." Zilis muttered.

The succubus felt her spell weakening and tried to renew it. While she could still concentrate, Zilis took her blade in hand, sheathing the other and bringing her hand in front of her. Cutting her palm quickly, she clenched it and focused on the pain as the blood fell to the tainted ground. The spell broke very quickly because of the pain. Redoubling her effects, Zilis looked up at the Succubus through the Mask. The succubus realized her spell was broken now and tried an all out attack.

"If I can't have you, you'll die." The demon's whip lit up as she drew it back and swung it.

Zilis ducked the whip as she swung it horizontally and then caught it with her arm. The troll twisted the whip around her arm despite the burning sensation it had, and pulled the succubus towards her. Though such an attack would usually not have been enough, the succubus tripped on a loose rock and fell right onto Zilis' blade.

Run though, the demon coughed. "This isn't over. Kalona fails, others won't."

Zilis shot the dying Succubus a glare before turning to Xaina. "Ya a'ight?"

Xainia paused for a moment. "Kalona... yah ah be alright."

"'Dere's nah time tah lose, if 'ey be lookin' tah unlock Hyjal...c'mon" Zilis ran towards the entrance of Hyjal, trying to make up for lost time.

Soon, they saw the line of columns leading to the gate. A small blue figure stood infront of them; it too glared at them.

"Ah voidwalker. He mus be runnin out ah choices." Xainia commented.

Zilis returned the glare as they approched it. "Get outta dah way."

"And why would I be a last choice?" the voidwalker spoke in a low voice, he seemed to know the horde language well. "You seem to underestimate me."

"Savin' da best fer last den." Zilis prepared to take on the blue ball of shadow.

"You come here as murderers. Why?" he questioned them.

"Ah demon born ah 'da Souls ah da fallen calls us Murderers? Ya 'Mastah' seeks somethin' terrible, ya know not what ya do."

Xainia stood silently, trying to see into the cave that led to the gate.

The voidwalker, Krakkesh, laughed. "Yet you seek something just as horrible, his death. You have no conviction, no reason. Only a price."

"'Un fer manah. Death be part ah 'da way ah Life, Death comes, death takes, ahn death gives." Zilis tried to match the word play that Krakkesh was giving her.

"You must believe that, having killed an entire city of trolls on a whim"

Xainia shook a bit at that comment, still silent, she seemed to sense something.

"Ah give mah 'Enemies' sancity from ah world ah chaos, ahn try tah repair 'da world in da Process. Ah give 'dem peace"

"And yet thier peace would have been living.. not slaughter." The voidwalker argued.

"Peace ah Demon like ya kin nevah know...sad..." Zilis tried to insult the demon passively.

"I do not need peace. I will not know peace. You would nonetheless try to pass and destroy all that my master has done." The voidwalker tried to worm into their resolve more. "For nothing more than a price. How demonic of you."

Zilis snickered; doubtful a Warlock could do any good. As she did, a fireball hit her in the back.

"Augh!" the rogue cried out and staggered forward from the blast.

Xainia looked around for the source, seeing an imp on top of one. She had sensed the presence but could not find it before. Xainia quickly shielded her friend.

"Xainia, gid outta 'ere!" Zilis yelled.

"You help this one? You know now what you do." The voidwalker glared at Xainia as the imp grinned and threw more fire around.

"Nah. Ah not leave yah!" Xainia said, healing Zilis.

"Two on 'un, eh? A'ight 'den.." Zilis looked to the voidwalker, but he was gone. He had run towards a broken pillar and was headed up into the mountains around the canyon. Dodging the next fireball, Zilis drew a throwing axe and hurled it at the Imp. The imp caught the axe between the palms of his hands and laughed, discarding it.

In response to this, Xainia smited him.

"Hey, watch it lady." The imp yelled at Xainia.

Zilis ran over to the pillar and scaled it with ease; Xainia followed as closely as she could. They found themselves jumping on the rock ledges above the door, they could see the green lush and renewing forest on the far side of the ridge. The imp was now out of range, it chased to catch up. The voidwalker kept running, heading down a steep slope now into the forest. The two slid down the hill and looked around for him.

Zilis muttered to Xainia "'dis is prolleh a trap...be on yah guard ahn don be hesitant tah run...ah'll be fine."

"Ah tink it be too late... dah gate is still closed an dere be nah way back up." Xainia looked at the hill.

The gate to Hjyal had indeed not been breached, falsifying the idea they had that the warlock was letting something out.

"He musta taken dis way in too." She suggested.

The voidwalker stopped ahead of them and turned, now in the open. "That is right, fools. Now you truly have no cause except chasing. You're not saving anyone. What a waste of time." The voidwalker faded away.

Zilis sighed. "What crawled up 'is ass...?"

"A fireball." a high voice screeched as Zilis was hit in the leg with one. The imp who fired it ran off further into Hyjal.

"Ow.." Zilis mumbled as she brushed the ash off her leg. "'e be getting on mah nerves."

"Dis place be big. But with tha gate closed wha could he be doin here?" Xainia questioned as she took out her whistle and prepared to call Zahriel.

"Ah dunno.." Zilis thought for a moment.

Playing the usual tune, Xainia made Zahriel appear for her. Feeding the raptor, she waited for her friend. Zilis remembered hearing legends of a terrible demon that had been slain in Hyjal, perhaps this warlock was intending to absorb the demon's remaining power?

Xainia noticed Zilis' thoughts formining up. "What ya be thinkin he do? Do we hafta hurry again?"

"'Ey may be lookin' fer powah 'ere, if 'ey's not tryin' tah un-lock some Demonic army ontah 'da world..."

Xainia climbed onto Zahriel. "Den we gotta hurrah."

"'Ey can't be up tah anah good 'ere, we bettah find 'im" As Zilis said this, she lowered to one knee. "Ah dun see anah tracks"

"Maybe dah demons erased dem. or dah forests heal dem quickly." Xainia suggested.

"Prollah. A'ight, les go..." Zilis started running along the pre-made path on the mountian.

"Get on. Zahriel be fast." Xainia held out her hand as Zilis took it and hopped on the raptor also.

Zahriel sped off along the path, riding through the winding trails of Hyjal. As they passed on, they came across several craters. The craters were obviosly fel-tainted, but they were clear of demons.

"Each ah dese been one ah our base camps." Xainia remembered back from her stay at the orc camp. "Dah demons took each one on dah way to tha top."

Zilis said nothing, the sights simply reinforced her resolve. She was sitting in front on the saddle, Xainia leaned forward onto her and almost started dozing off while they rode, so much had already happened this day. Zilis couldn't rest, she had to find and stop this warlock from doing what she imagined. She smiled at Xainia leaning on her; the priest had always been one to look to her for such things. She couldn't say that she disliked it.

They came to a final path up to the summit. Xainia woke up as Zahriel slowed down and crept to the top. Dismounting, Xainia motioned for Zilis to dismount. She took out her whistle and quietly played the tune to send Zahriel away. Her staff, Benediction, pulsed at being so close to the tree it was splintered from.

Xainia peeked around the corner at the top of the hill and looked back. "Dere it is." she looked back and whispered. "Tha world tree." Xainia pulled Zilis around the corner barely. They could see the tree, the demon's gigantic skeleton still hung lifeless from it. Archimonde had rotted away leading only his skull, armor, and ribs. Zilis' expression turned grim upon seeing Archimonde.

"Dere someone down dere... by dah well ah eternity." Xainia looked over the cliff. "Dis too steep, we gonna hafta go around."

Zilis nodded quietly, she had been strangely quiet since entering this place. They moved quietly down the ramp. They could see in the distance that the figure had a demonskull helmet and bright robes. It was indeed Zilis' target. It was standing on the shore of the well, looking out on the water.

"Ya gonna sneak up on 'im?" Xainia asked.

Zilis nodded and crouched down, adopting an almost Animal-like stance in stealth. Xainia slowly started to move up, trying to keep her self hidden. Quietly, but with an alarming amount of speed for the stance, Zilis moved towards the target, her Blade already prepared with the special poison.

"What are you going to do." The figure spoke. "I can see you." He hadn't turned. Zilis could now see a felhunter off in the underbrush staring at her and causing general paranoia for the warlock.

Xainia made it up behind to near Zilis while the rogue formed a response. "Ah'm gunna stop ya..."

"Stop me from doing what?" The warlock turned to her and Xainia. He was still wearing his mask.

"Ya be here fer Powah, dun ya?"

Xainia heard the voice in her head again. "Help me" it sounded like the warlock's voice, she suddenly realized. It was so familiar to her.

"No. I am here to explore." The warlock removed his helmet and put it in one of his bags.

Xainia took a step back when he did, shivering slightly. "Ma… ma.." she whispered almost inaudibly as she backed away more, putting benediction back into its holster.

"You have made it past my demons. Quite a respectable run you have made. However, your journey ends here. My own are loyal to me." The warlock looked at them both, especially Xainia.

Zilis felt a chill run up her spine. She knew this warlock somehow, indirectly perhaps.

"We sha gah, Zilis." Xainia puts her hand on Zilis' shoulder and then looked at the warlock, her eyes filling with tears slightly. "We sha gah now."

Zilis stood there, seemingly frozen. "..."

Xainia looked at Zilis and at the warlock. She looked very worried and thought to herself. "Ah haven't used it in sah long... ah might hafta ta stop dis."

The words of the one who hired Zilis came to her mind. "Don't let him trick you. He has a way with words, but do not listen… he is a slaver. A pitiful beast who wishes only to control."

Xainia released her grip. Still quivering as the warlock looked at her. The words in Zilis' mind created an image that fueled great anger. She still hesitated.

"So then. What are you going to do, 'brave' assasin?" Maldelic goaded her.

Still worried, Xainia thought of what she could do. She detected a magic about the poison. To stop this, she casted a passive dispel on the area to remove it. It could easily have been mistaken seen as dispelling something positive from the warlock. The words continue in Zilis' mind, egging her on, trying to convince her that this Warlock sought only to control...

"As you seek to control me!" Zilis hissed back to the voice in her head, silencing it. At the same time, Zilis wondered which warlock was really doing this.

The warlock grinned, knowing the poison's magic was gone. "Do what you will with me. Assasin. One motivated by nothing by money."

"Y'know... Fer 'un explorin', ya left ah lot ah trouble fer us." Zilis looked up at him. "'Ou ya explain 'dat, puppeteer?"

The warlock offered no explanation. He turned away from her, disinterested. The words still echoed in Zilis' head; 'My own are loyal to me'. They filled the rogue with dread. As he walked away, the warlock reached the side of the lake and had the audacity to dip his hand in and run it around in the waters. When he did, the hand looked renewed and human, but as soon as he withdrew it, it returned to undeath. This entertained the warlock; he smirked and sat by the shore. Suddenly Zilis' keen ears heard the imp running around preparing a fireball. The undead suddenly looked over, not realizing that the imp was going to be mischievous. The imp fired a big one at Zilis, but she blocked it with her arm and turned, kicking the imp as if it were a child's toy. The warlock did not even look twice.

"An ya even let ya 'pets' out dere tah die." Zilis started approaching.

Xainia held out her staff infront of Zilis. "Ah dun care who he be, nah warlock leave dere pets tah die like dat." Xainia said, masking her resentment at the statement. The priest withdrew her staff.

Not turning to see Xainia, Zilis continued to look at the Warlock. "He be doin evil tings here, it dun mattah. We gotta stop im."

"You've never done anything worth much have you? Just lived and seen people die before you. Is it perhaps because you fear the beyond? You fear what death would do so you appease it with killings?" The warlock challenged.

"Ah dun naht fear death..."

"Well then, I suppose we will remain here until then. Your employer will be quite displeased knowing you've failed."

"Look, if ya be innocent like ya say..leave 'dis place" Zilis demanded.

"I move for no one tonight, especially some assassin. Now go on your way, young one. You are beginning to bore me."

"'Den ah kinnaht allow ya ta remain." Zilis spoke these words somewhat sadly. She adopted her combat stance. "Spirits be wid ya, foul 'un."

The warlock smiled as he stood and faced her, pulling down his robe to bear his chest slightly. "Bring me your hate and your venom, assassin," The felhunter growled, wanting to engage the troll, but it held back at its master's command. "Now we will see if faith exists for the dead." He thought to himself.

Zilis vanished from his sight, the felhunter looked around, trying to see her and alert his master. Just as fast as she dissapeared, she reappeared, delivering a roundhouse kick to the Warlock's side. Following up on the kick, she elbowed the undead in the side of the head.

"Nah. Mastah!" In an instant, before Zilis' next move, Xainia's thoughts raced. She had not used her real power in a long time, she knew that she could not allow this to happen, but she could not tell Zilis everything for fear of hurting her. It was too late now, the attack had begun. Within the split seconds, Xainia reached out her hand and saw the shadows race across her skin as she changed into shadow form. The burning flames lit up as the eyes on her helmet glowed red. She raised her staff in her other hand and it transformed from Benediction into Anathema. She reached out for the attacking rogue, raging at her former master being attacked. A tendril of shadow shot out from her arm, wrapping around Zilis' middle. This beam of shadow threw the troll up into the air and brought her down fairly hard on the ground a small distance away, releasing her.

Xainia rushed to the warlock's side. "Mastah, ah yah all right?" Xainia saw to him.

"My name is Maldelic; you should call me by that, Xainia." The warlock stood beside his former pet as they both looked to Zilis.

Zilis rose to her feet slowly, the full realization of the connection between them hitting her. "Xai… … …"

"He dah not die taday." Xainia said. "Ah sorry, Zilis. Ah wun let yah do dis."

"He be 'dah 'un 'dat made 'da Shadah ah ya? 'Da Tyrant 'dat destoyed anah life it found an consumed it? 'Dat was 'is doing!"

"Nah. Yah dun be sayin dat. Da Mas.. Maldelic nevah do sometin like dat, he save me. He found me as nothin an showed me tha way ta avenge wha happened tah me." Xainia came out of the shadows. "Yah lissen tah me. If it wun fah him, ah'd be waitin tah die in tha middle ah nowhere."

Zilis dropped her weapons, torn by inner conflict.

"I suppose now that the cards are on the table. Well they all are aren't they? Who was it that sent you again?" The warlock prodded.

The rogue fell to one knee and began to tremble.

"Was it, Selima?" he insinuated

Without warning, Zilis stood up completely straight, her hands on her head and screamed, her voice echoing for miles "SHUT UP!"

"Who would pay you to see my death. Do you now realize that she hates Xainia too and would see her dead?" Maldelic continued.

This trembling and yelling was not at them, nor was her cry for silence. The voice that had seemed a memory in her head now spoke again; the voice of her employer. It wouldn't stop, it kept talking despite her protests. The conflict and the pain kept her from using her shamanistic abilities to block it out.

Xainia tried to soothe Zilis' mind from where she stood. "Is dis true?" Xainia tried to approach. "Was it Selima?"

_"Kill him. It must be done. Kill the girl too, if she gets in the way" _the voice echoed.

"Ah wun do it, shut up." Zilis started tearing up at the suggestion that she would even have to lay a finger on Xainia.

_"It must be done"_ The voice continued.

"'Dat's fer me tah decide." Zilis said again.

_"You will do this." _The voice of Selima ordered.

"Shut..UP!" Zilis demanded, still crying each time that the voice spoke.

_"Do it… Now"_

Xainia picked up on the voice, knowing that she was only hearing half the conversation. "Somethin not be right in dis place." Xainia tried to cast more dispels. "Dun lissen tah her." Xainia picked up on what the voice was saying. "It's not like yah can do anahting anahway. Ah dulled yah poison. He wun die from it."

_"She is meddling. You must kill her as well." _The voice was still persistant.

"Ah wun do it! Nah Xainia! Gid outta mah head." Zilis was a wreck, broken down crying and wrestling for control of her actions.

"Dun yah see? Selima is ah warlock too. An she be forcin her will on yah just like yah be some pet."

"Ah know… ah kin't...git 'er...out..." Zilis started beating herself about the head in helplessness.

Xainia suddenly got a crazy idea. "Dun hate me fah dis." She said quietly as she faded into the shadows again. "Please dun." The priest took a deep breath and cast the most powerful mindblast she could muster.

Zilis screamed and was knocked backwards from the kneeling position she was in, she didn't move for some time, but smoke rose from the area of her head.

"That warlock... is a demon herself. A succubus in the body of an undead. I will do what I can." Maldelic took his staff off back and drew power from it. With the power he could give, he cast the widest range banish that he could on the area to try and ward Selima off.

Xainia slowly approached Zilis, coming back from the shadow and renewing the other troll.

"unhh.." Zilis was coming to.

"Are yah you?" Xainia asked. "An only you?"

Zilis let out a groan of deep pain and then silence fell. Zilis started laughing coldly. "Ya dun come between ah Wolf and 'er Prey..."

Both of them tensed up for a moment at this comment.

Zilis laughed again as she slowly got to her feet. "Unless 'dey've got 'dah Wrong prey."

Xainia let out a sigh of relief as Zilis looked at Maldelic.

Maldelic cracked a wry grin, unusual for an undead. "So then I have some explaining to do I guess."

"Maldelic..be ya name?" Zilis asked.

"Yes." he responded. "That is what I call myself."

Zilis walked to him, and kneeled before him. "Mah apolgies."

"It is not neccesary, young one. But I will accept. I have seen too today, that an undead can have faith in those they have aided." Maldelic looked to the east. "Come this way. We will need to make a fire away from the shadow of the tree. It is getting dark."

Zilis nodded quietly. Khuufen, the felhunter, followed too, rubbing up against Xainia's leg. Falling in step slightly behind Xainia, she rubbed the ash off and tears off her face.

"Ah sorrah ah had ta hit yah dat hard, Zilis." Xainia apologized.

"Ah dun mind... ah had ta be rid ah dat voice."

Maldelic soon gathered some wood and set it aflame instantly with a spell. "Sit down, both of you, I have a long story to tell. You should eat, for it spans many years. Perhaps it will put some of my motives in the light."

Xainia sat by the fire as he said, wanting to know what her former master was to tell. Zilis stood for a few moments, slightly stunned, then sat and looked at the fire in silence. At that point, Maldelic told the long story. His life as Methuselah, his loss of his love, Arisia, and his fall into the scourge and near murder of his love by the lich kings will. The story did not reach a point to pause until it was pitch dark outside of their small lit circle.

"After I had risen as a forsaken, I did not have my memory. I trained in the dark arts under the service of the dark lady and it was some time before I finally gained enough control of myself to remember. I met a shaman, Hasur, who helped me to be able to remember; he is also the one who told me of you, Xainia. I knew that with the isolation of the blood elves and my own status with the horde, I might never see her again. She might have even died in the war, along with my s... well that's a different story. And so, I decided to find you, Xainia, and see if I could truly help someone as a forsaken. Today you have shown me that hope and faith can still exist in my world. That help does not go thankless and without loyalty. I was here, at this fountain of magic and life, to see it for once. I had no other intent than this."

"Den what about dah demons dat ya had tah face us?" Xainia asked.

"I knew that woman had sent someone. If I had put up no fight, she might have suspected that you would help me earlier and caused the two of you to fight."

Zilis sat quietly, more tears on her cheek reflected the fire before her.

"What would you ask of me, Zilis?" Maldelic turned to her.

The rogue did not reply, she seemed lost in thought. Xainia asked a question in the interim. "Why did yah leave when yah stopped bein dah mastah?"

"I... I felt I couldn't know you any other way, Xainia. I thought my work was done and that I should step away. I am sorry that I faded so wordlessly. I suppose I may be sentimental in knowing you again now, but that is not always bad."

"T-tell meh...about 'da Shadow." Zilis finally asked.

"Ah yes. I guessed that might be on your mind. The shadow is a strange thing. It made those craters out there, defaced that gorge, and twisted many creations including this dead relic above us." Maldelic pointed at the demon skeleton. "I did show Xainia the way, and instruct her to train as a shadow priest, but I am not behind the side of herself that she now has chained."

"How yah know about that?" Xainia asked.

"You would assume that I would miss an army of hundreds going to do battle? I was there, though unrecognized. I have helped other times too. You didn't think that the Eye of Shadow for that staff that you wear so proudly came into your possession without help?"

"Dah was you who sent dat?" Xainia looked more thankful then she could express.

"Yes, an old friend gave it to me, and I knew it would be of use to you." Maldelic answered.

"'Ou created 'dat Shadah ah 'er?" Zilis asked, wanting a direct answer before the conversation changed.

"I showed the pathway to the shadow and guided her development, but that entity was far beyond my control and creation. It formed from the memories I had held back from her while she was training, I believe."

Xainia had realized this already to a level. "Mah regret, mah vengeance, mah hate."

"It did things I could have never forseen as a warlock. The ways that priests can use shadow with such affinity can be frightening. So to answer your question, yes; I am responsible in a way, but I did not plan it." Maldelic said slowly.

"..." Zilis looked down. All this time, she had wanted something to blame. Even when Xainia had first realized the shadow was part of her, Zilis had not wanted to believe it. She could not blame this warlock for not knowing the results. Zilis wanted some tangible force to take out the rage she held over the pain and torment that she had witnessed at Xainia's hands. She had wanted revenge for both herself and Xainia. "Ah see..." Zilis sighed and dismissed her rage, realizing that it was a part of everyone, that even she had a side that could kill, but it was not backed by the shadow in such a way.

"If you were hoping for something more glorious or exciting, some grand design, I am sorry. There is nothing more. The whole affair, a fancy of an undead to bring hope and to help someone in the best way they could."

"Nah..." Zilis dismissed her revenge too and denied she wished for more to Maldelic.

"Now I must be going. There is an affair of my own I have to attend to. The only thing left for me, with this over." The undead rose and began to walk away from the fire, searching his bags for something.

Xainia looked at him, remembering the part of his story about Arisia. She smiled, inwardly hoping the best for him.

"Yah...we all 'ave our own affairs tah 'tend tah, ahn our own stories tah write." Zilis said firmly, getting to her feet and smiling at Xainia.

Xainia stayed seated. "Lets stay here fah dah night. It be sah peaceful, Zilis. Goodbye, Maldelic. Thank yah fah showin me dah way." she waved to him as he removed his own hearthstone from his bags and began to dissappear with it.

Xainia pulled Zilis back down to beside the fire. "Ah like dis place. Ah moment ah peace in dis crazy world."

"...Yah..." Zilis slumped against Xainia with a sigh. "Long day..."

"Yah. Let's go tah sleep." Xainia rubbed her nose against Zilis' nose.

They both slept as the fire faded. The great questions that had been left open were now answered for them. The solution showed them that, all creatures, no matter how they appeared, didn't have to act in key with their looks; undead could hope and have faith, priests could hate and destroy, and vengeful assasins could relinquish their venom. It was all brought together in the land where peace and immortality were born, and yet where chaos had reigned only a few years before. Hardly a 'waste of time', as some demons would have called it.


End file.
